Good News the Chariots a Comin'

Sometimes labeled as “Good News, Chariots-a-Comin'” or “Good News, the Chariot’s Coming,” Good News the Chariots a Comin’ by Ruth Starr Rose, gives a modern twist to the spiritual as many of her other pieces do. The “chariot” in this case is an airplane guided by three angels with horns. The lyrics talk about a chariot that is coming to take people to heaven and the singer insists that they don’t want to be left behind. They’re hopeful for the things they’ll find in heaven (a long white robe, a starry crown, and a golden harp) and the only thing they fear is being left behind.

Thanks to a listing in the March 31, 1874 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, we know the Hampton Students sang “Good News, the Chariot’s Coming” in conjunction with “Oh Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” as part of the second half of their concert. The concert was a completely packed, standing room only event (something that hadn’t happened, according to the author, “for many weeks”), featuring thirteen students from Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute at Corinthian Hall.