"Bury My Body" is a traditional

gospel blues Gospel blues (or holy blues) is a form of blues-based gospel music that has been around since the inception of blues music. It combines evangelistic lyrics with blues instrumentation, often blues guitar accompaniment. According to musician and ...

song. It is also known as "(Lord) I Don't Care Where Dey (They, You) Bury My Body" and "My Soul Is Gonna Live with God". The origins of the song are obscure. The earliest recording may be by the Norfolk Jazz and Jubilee Quartets, as "Lord, I Don't Care Where They Bury My Body", in 192729. The various titles are taken from the chorus: "Bury my body, Lord, I don't care where; for my soul is gonna live with God". As is common with traditional songs, the words vary between performers. The verses sometimes seem to refer to the miracle of the

empty tomb The empty tomb is the Christian tradition that the tomb of Jesus was found empty on the third day after his crucifixion. All four gospels relay the story, but beyond a basic outline, they agree on little. In the original ending of the Gospel of ...

; at others to the

rapture The rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an Eschatology, end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurre ...

; at yet others to the singer's indifference to the manner of disposal of his or her remains, as a small matter compared with

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

Recordings

The following recordings are by artists with Wikipedia articles: * 1937"I Don't Care Where You Bury My Body" by

Mitchell's Christian Singers Mitchell's Christian Singers were an American gospel music group who recorded prolifically between 1934 and 1940. Musical career Formed in the early 1930s in Kinston, North Carolina, the group initially featured William Brown (lead tenor), Julius ...

* 1940"I Don't Care Where Dey Bury My Body" by Joshua White and his Carolinians * 1954

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002), known as Lonnie Donegan, was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the "King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scotl ...

, on the 45 rpm EP Decca DFE 6345. This version is sometimes erroneously credited to Chris Barber, who played on the recording as a backing musician * 1964

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

on the album ''

'' * 196566

The Misunderstood The Misunderstood were an American psychedelic rock band originating from Riverside, California in the mid-1960s. The band moved to London early in their career, and although they recorded only a handful of songs before being forced to disband, ...

* 1970 Al Kooper and

Shuggie Otis Johnny Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist. Otis's composition "Strawberry Letter 23" (as recorded by The Brothers Johnson) topped ...

on the album ''Kooper Session: Super Session, Vol. 2'' * 1977"I Don't Care Where You Bury My Body" by

Ella Jenkins Ella Jenkins (born August 6, 1924) is an American folk singer and actress. Dubbed "The First Lady of the Children's Folk Song" by the ''Wisconsin State Journal'', she has been a leading performer of children's music for over fifty years. Her alb ...

on the album ''Songs, Rhythms and Chants for the Dance'' * 1991

Davy Graham David Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham (originally spelled Davy Graham) (26 November 1940 – 15 December 2008) was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival. He inspired many famous practitioners ...

on the album ''Playing In Traffic'' * 2001

The Starlite Desperation The Starlite Desperation is a rock band originally from Monterey, California. Combining elements of garage rock, punk, psychedelic music, goth rock, post punk, glam rock and 60's Pop. They released three full length records, 1 EP, and 3 singles ...

on the album ''Show You What a Baby Won't'' * 2005 Chris Barber on the album ''The Grand Reunion Concert'' * 2012Robert Plant on the album ''

Sensational Space Shifters (Live in London July '12) After the breakup of Led Zeppelin in 1980 (following the death of drummer John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for h ...

'' * 2013

The 77s The 77s (alternatively spelled the Seventy Sevens, the 77's, or simply 77's) is an American rock music, rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon (musician), Mark Harmon on bass guitar, and Bruce Spencer on drums. Histo ...

on ''Gimme a Kickstart ... And a Phrase Or Two''

Other uses

Songs

The following songs are unrelated to the main subject of this article, and to each other, despite having related titles: * 1993"Bury My Body" by

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

, a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

song on the album ''Nothing But the Blues'' * 2006"I Dont Care Where I Go When I Die", a

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...

song on the album of the same name by Gaza * 2014"Bury My Body" by Fishboy on the album ''An Elephant''

Albums

''Bury My Body'' may refer to several compilation albums of songs by various artists, unrelated to the main subject of this article. * 2006''Bury My Body'' * 2012''Bury My Body, Vol. 1'' * 2012 ''Bury My Body, Vol. 2''

References

Gospel songs The Animals songs Lonnie Donegan songs John Lee Hooker songs Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown {{gospel-music-stub