Two Gullah Prayers

1. The Lord’s Prayer in the Gullah Language

We Fada wa dey een heaben
Leh ebrybody hona ya nyame
We pray dat soon ya gwine rule oba de wol.
Wasoneba ting ya wahn,
Leh um be so een dis wol
Same like dey een heaben.
Gii we de food wa we need
Dis day yah an ebry day.
Fagibe we fa we sin
Same lik we da fagibe dem people
Wa do bad ta we.
Leh we dihn hab haad test
Wen Satan try we
Keep we from ebil.

Our Father who is in the Heaven
Let everybody honor your Name.
We pray that soon you are going to rule over the whole World.
Whatsoever things you want,
Let them be so in this World
Same as they are in Heaven.
Give us the food which we need
This day and every day.
Forgive us for our sin
Same as we do forgive those people
Who do bad to us.
Let us not have a hard test
When Satan tries us
Keep us from evil.

Traditional English Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth,
as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us .
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

2. Gullah Grace Over Food

Gee we food wa we need dus day yah an eby day. Fagibe we da bad ting we da do. Cause we da fagibe dem people wa do bad ta we. Leh we don habe haad tes wen Satan try we. Keep we fron ebil.

Give us food that we need this day here--and every day. Forgive us the bad things we that do, because we forgive those people that do bad things to us. Let us not have hard tests when Satan tries us. Keep us from evil.

Further Reading:
Wilbur Cross, Gullah Culture in America, 2012. Roger Pinckney, Blue Roots: African-American Folk Magic of the Gullah People, 2nd Edition, 2003.

The Lord's Prayer
Psalms and Verses in Hoodoo
"That Hoodoo..." home page