"Joy in My Heart", sometimes titled "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy" or "Joy, Joy Down in My Heart", is a popular

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

song often sung around the campfire and during

scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

events. It is often included in

Gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

and

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

concerts, songbooks, and Christian children's songbooks. The song was written by George William Cooke. Cooke was born in

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, Yorkshire, England in 1884 and died in Jamestown, New York in 1951. He was the author of "Joy in My Heart" which was copyrighted in 1925 (but not renewed). At that time he was living in Wilmington, Delaware. He was a minister and associated with a group called Gospel Crusaders which was associated with the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

. He ran the Delmarva Camp, a Methodist camp that held gospel meetings and revivals. He was later minister of Methodist churches in Buffalo and Rochester

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. As a young man, he twice circled the globe in evangelistic tours with Commissioner Samuel L. Brengle of the

Salvation Army 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 ...

In popular culture

The song is the origin of the title of William Stafford's prose memoir of his WWII pacifist service, ''Down In My Heart''.Kim Stafford, Early Morning: Remembering My Father, William Stafford, Publisher Trinity University Press, 2014 NRBQ's version of the song, known as "Down in My Heart", appeared in the American television adaption of ''

Wilfred Wilfred may refer to: * Wilfred (given name), a given name and list of people (and fictional characters) with the name * Wilfred, Indiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * ''Wilfred'' (Australian TV series), a comedy series * ' ...

'' when it was featured during the final moments of the series finale. Though the context it's played in is not conducive to the song’s original theme of Christianity, instead referring to the main character coming to peace with his state of mind, it is possibly for this reason that only the chorus of the song is played. Granny (actress

Irene Ryan Irene Ryan (born Irene Noblitt, Noblett, or Noblette; October 17, 1902 – April 26, 1973) was an American actress and comedienne who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television, and Broadway. She is most widely known for her por ...

) sings the song in an episode of the 1960s TV sitcom '' The Beverly Hillbillies''. In "

Lisa's First Word "Lisa's First Word" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 1992. In the episode, as the Simpson family g ...

", the tenth episode of the fourth season of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'', characters Rod and Todd Flanders sing this song. The song was included by The Housemartins as one of the tracks on the ''

London 0 Hull 4 ''London 0 Hull 4'' is the debut album by The Housemartins, released in June 1986. It contains the singles " Flag Day" (#124 UK), "Sheep" (#54 UK), " Happy Hour" (#3 UK) and " Think for a Minute" (#18 UK). The title refers to the band's home ci ...

'' Deluxe Edition album, from when lead singer Paul Heaton's lyrics reflected his Christian views at the time. The song is sung by

Jeremy Sumpter Jeremy Robert Myron Sumpter (born February 5, 1989) is an American actor. His prominent roles include the title role in the 2003 live action film ''Peter Pan'', Jacob in the 2014 disaster film '' Into the Storm'', and the recurring role of J. D. ...

and

Matt O'Leary Matthew Joseph O'Leary (born July 6, 1987) is an American actor. He made his debut in the made-for-television Disney Channel Original film ''Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire'' (2000), and would go on to star in the thriller ''Domestic Disturbance' ...

at the beginning of the 2001 thriller '' Frailty''. In the 2014 game ''LISA'', the song is repeatedly sung by the character Buzzo when offering the in-game drug, Joy. In 2015, S7E7 of ''

Tosh.0 ''Tosh.0'' ( ) is an American television series that aired on Comedy Central from June 4, 2009, to November 24, 2020. The series is hosted and produced by comedian Daniel Tosh, who provides satirical commentary on online viral video clips, inter ...

'' featured Daniel Tosh referencing and singing it. It was also used in a

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

ad that April. In 2016, Volkswagen used the song in a TV commercial aired during the UEFA Euro 2016. In 2017, it is sung in the first episode of '' Sun Records''. In 2018, for King & Country sample the song for their single " Joy".

References

External links

Got the Joy'' lyrics (with guitar chords)
{{DEFAULTSORT:I've Got The Joy Joy Joy Joy (Song) Christian songs Songs about Jesus English children's songs 1925 songs American children's songs