There’s a star in the east (Rise up, shepherd, and follow)
There’s a star in the east (Rise up, shepherd, and follow). African American spiritual*.
The first stanza as printed in current hymnals is as follows:
There’s a star in the east on Christmas morn; Rise up, shepherd and follow; It will lead to the place where the Christ was born; Rise up, shepherd, and follow. Follow, follow, rise up, shepherd, and follow, Follow the star of Bethlehem. Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
The noted African American author James Weldon Johnson* (1871–1938) mentions the relative paucity of spirituals devoted to Christmas. He suggests that this was because enslaved Africans seeking liberation preferred to think of Jesus as a powerful king (See...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "There’s a star in the east (Rise up, shepherd, and follow)."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 24 Jan. 2021.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/there’s-a-star-in-the-east-(rise-up,-shepherd,-and-follow)>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "There’s a star in the east (Rise up, shepherd, and follow)."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed January 24, 2021,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/there’s-a-star-in-the-east-(rise-up,-shepherd,-and-follow).