"Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" is an African-American spiritual song that dates back to the early nineteenth century. The American contralto Marian Anderson recorded it in 1925, and many other singers have recorded it (in their own styles) over the years.
Wikipedia notes that “Nobody Knows” became not only a song sung by groups of people gathering together, but also something that moved easily into more formal arrangements and performances. “In the late 19th century African-American music began to appear in classical music art forms, in arrangements made by Black composers such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Henry Thacker Burleigh, and J. Rosamond Johnson. Johnson made an arrangement…for voice and piano in 1917, when he was directing the New York Music School Settlement for Colored People.”
We should also note, however, that in popular culture, the song is used (often in a humorous way) as a prisoner's lament, or by someone who believes they are being mistreated. (One fun example from Walt Disney's The Lion King)
Lyrics
This is one set of traditional lyrics.
Nobody knows the trouble I've been through
Nobody knows my sorrow [or “Nobody knows but Jesus”]
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Glory hallelujah!
Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down
Oh, yes, Lord
Sometimes I'm almost to the ground
Oh, yes, Lord
Although you see me going 'long so
Oh, yes, Lord
I have my trials here below
Oh, yes, Lord
Nobody knows the trouble I've been through
Nobody knows but Jesus
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Glory hallelujah!
If you get there before I do
Oh, yes, Lord
Tell all-a my friends I'm coming to Heaven! [or “coming too”]
Oh, yes, Lord
We particularly recommend the following videos:
Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) Male Chorus
Louis Armstrong (live performance with trumpet and voice, 1962)
The Seekers (live performance, 1965/66)
And one more, because this is music for everyone: National Taiwan University Chorus
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