Oh! What A Beautiful City

by Nina Ricci

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“Oh! What A Beautiful City” is an African American spiritual which appears as Track #2 on ​Folksingers ‘Round Harvard Square​ (Joan Baez, Ted Alevizos, and Bill Wood) (1959.) The inspiration for my version of this song comes from Pete Seeger’s rendition, sometimes called “Twelve Gates to the City.” While living in Boston and attending Berklee College of Music, my mother would drive me around the city, and the song I would sing as I looked at the venerable old buildings and bridges was “Oh! What A Beautiful City.” While many connect the meaning with the Old Testament “City of David,” this song is actually based on the Apostle John’s vision of the New Jerusalem in the New Testament out of the ​Book of Revelation in the Bible.

Song title:​ Oh! What A Beautiful City
Run time:​ 3:02
Genre/style/vibe:​ Spiritual song, Gospel/Folk
Themes:​ Heaven, heavenly Jerusalem, Children of Israel, liberty

lyrics

Oh what a beautiful city
Oh what a beautiful city
Oh what a beautiful city
Twelve gates to the city, Hallelujah

Three gates into the East
Three gates into the West
Three gates into the North
Three gates into the South
Making that: Twelve gates into the city, Hallelujah

Oh what a beautiful city
Oh what a beautiful city
Oh what a beautiful city
There's twelve gates to the city, Hallelujah

See those children all dressed in red?
They must be the children that Moses led
There's twelve gates to the city, Hallelujah

Oh what a beautiful city
Oh what a beautiful city
Oh what a beautiful city
Twelve gates to the city, Hallelujah

Oh, when I get to Heaven, gonna sing and shout
Ain't nobody there gonna put me out
There's twelve gates to the city, Hallelujah
Oh what a beautiful city
Oh what a beautiful city
Oh what a beautiful city there's
Twelve gates to the city, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah!

credits

released June 29, 2020
SINGLE TITLE:​ Oh! What A Beautiful City
ARTIST/COMPOSER:​ Composer Unknown FCC:​ Clean Content Pro: BMI
GENRE:​ Gospel/Folk
ISRC Code: ​US2N42000002
RELEASE DATE:​ June 29th
Recording Details:
Recorded in Sarasota Florida at Jump Dog Audio Productions Mixed and mastered by Mark Dann (New York, NY)

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Nina Ricci Chattanooga, Tennessee

Nina Ricci is a folksinger, songwriter, and guitarist living and creating new music in Nashville Tennessee. Her style is "retro-progressive," throwing hints at the last folk revival and steaming forward; letting the hinges of tradition dangle among the stories she sings. ... more

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