Children, Go Where I Send Thee

[1] Among the many different versions of the song, a defining feature is the cumulative structure, with each number (typically up to 12 or 10) accompanied by a biblical reference.

I'm gonna send thee three by three: Three for the Hebrew children, Two for Paul and Silas, One for the little bitty baby.

Possible earlier points of origin include the traditional Yiddish Passover song "Echad Mi Yodea," which was first documented in the 16th century.

[2] In 1908 in Gloucestershire, composer Percy Grainger used a phonogram to capture the earliest known sound recordings of "The Twelve Apostles.

"[5] From 1908 to 1917, folklorist Cecil Sharp transcribed multiple versions of "The Twelve Apostles" in Appalachia, providing evidence of the song's propagation into the American South.

Sung by an unidentified group of African-American convicts, the recording presents a number of notable elements that begin to distinguish the song from its English ancestor.

[7][2] "Children, Go Where I Send Thee" became further distanced from its English ancestor with The Golden Gate Quartet's 1937 commercial recording of the song for RCA Victor's Bluebird label.

Coupled with the recording's rhythmically driven jubilee quartet style, these features make the song a distinctly American folk tune.

[2] Other artist to record the song include Joe and Eddie, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Natalie Merchant, The Kingston Trio, the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Florida Boys, Mike Seeger with sisters Penny Seeger and Peggy Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, Ricky Skaggs, The Burns Sisters, Mandisa, Mahalia Jackson, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Audra McDonald, The Tabernacle Choir, Scala & Kolacny Brothers, Odetta, Hall and Oates, REO Speedwagon, Kenny Burrell, Nick Lowe, The Spinners, Ledisi, Colin James & The Little Big Band, Neil Diamond, Pentatonix (with Christmas-themed lyric changes), The Laurie Berkner Band, The Blenders, Sister Thea Bowman, and Clara Ward.