Charles A. Tindley was born in 1851, the son of slaves. As a teenager he taught himself to read and write, and worked as a janitor while attending night school. He earned a divinity degree by correspondence and in 1902 became pastor of Philadelphia's Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church where he had earlier worked as a janitor. In addition to "Leave it There," wrote many hymns, including "I'll Overcome Some Day," the basis of the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome." Other of Tindley's hymns hymns still popular today include "Stand By Me," "We'll Understand it Better By and By," and "What are they Doing in Heaven