Sunday and Sister Jones
Roberta Flack
Quiet Fire, 1971
wikipedia | official site

I came back across this album in my collection this week while recording a bunch of borrowed records and was aghast that I hadn’t recorded this song yet. I’ve shared my love of early Roberta Flack before but am glad to give another example of how her easy-listening reputation is unfortunate or at least not all there is (the duets with Peabo Bryson and Maxi Priest are hard to dispute).

This is her second sultry song about a preacher, not coincidentally both were written by Eugene McDaniels. “Reverend Lee” (the other song, some lyrics here) is intentionally lyrically provocative whereas the seduction of this song is all in the performance.

The basic plot of the song is that Reverend Jones is sick and his wife prays to the Lord for him to save him, saying “if you take him away i don’t want to live another day.” He dies and she dies the next day. I don’t know if they recorded this song at 4:00 a.m. or what but (tell me if I’m wrong) somewhere beween Roberta’s delivery of birth, death, kneeling, and “Life was crying (?) from her body / Like water from a drying well,” this song has a clear sexual vibe to it.

It was early Sunday evening
Just before the death of day
All the family friends were grieving
Reverend Jones just passed away
Sister Jones had seen it coming
She was familiar with the signs
Late one night I heard her hummin’
While strolling through the Georgia pines

She said, Lord if you take him away
I don’t want to live

It was early Sunday morning
Just before the birth of day
I can hear the rooster crowing
Sister Jones knelt down to pray
She said Lord he’s slipping through my fingers
Is death the master of us all?
She said Lord I’m humble here before you
Just grant this life and don’t let him fall
She said, Lord if you take him away
I don’t want to live another day

Later on that Sunday evening
Just before the midnight dawn (?)
Sister Jones was heavy breathin’
I still hear the mourning song
Life was crying from her body
Like water from a drying well
Well, I heard her whisper thank you Jesus
Just before midnight ___

Sister Jones was taken away
She didn’t live
Sister Jones was taken away
She didn’t live another day
Sister Jones was taken away
She didn’t live
Sister Jones was taken away
She didn’t live another day
Sister Jones…taken away
She didn’t live another day

Looks like Roberta Flack is selling the piano that she used to record her masterpiece debut First Take. Times must be tough…

Perry, thanks for this record.

>> right-click –> here to download the 192 kbps version [6.9 MB] or here for the 320 kbps version [11.5 MB].

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