I Had a Good Father and Mother

"I Had a Good Father and Mother" is a 1929 gospel blues song by Washington Phillips (1880–1954, vocals and zither).^[2] The song has sometimes been covered as "I Had a Good Mother and Father"; or with, in both cases, "Real" inserted before "Good".

"I Had a Good Father and Mother"
Single by Washington Phillips
Recorded	Dallas, Texas, December 2, 1929
Genre	Gospel blues
Length	3:01
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Washington Phillips
Producer(s)	Frank B. Walker[1]

Unusually, the song does not have a conventional refrain; instead, the verses are separated by a wordless vocalise.

The final verse reflects a concept mentioned several times in the Gospel of John:

• A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. – John 13:34
• As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. – John 15:9
• This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. – John 15:12

The recording history suggests that the song was composed by Phillips himself: there seems to be no earlier or contemporary version, nor any cover version until 64 years after his recording of the song.^{[citation needed]}

Recordings

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

• 1929 – Washington Phillips,^[2][3][4] 10" 78rpm single Columbia 14566-D
• 1993 – Palace Brothers^[5][6] on the album There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You
• 1994 – Kate Wolf^[7] on the album Looking Back at You ^[8]
• 2003 – Gillian Welch^[9] on the album Soul Journey
• 2004 – Paul Rishell and Annie Raines^[10] on the album Goin' Home ^[11]
• 2016 – The Lower Lights^[12] on the album A Hymn Revival, Vol. 3 ^[13]