When They Ring Those Golden Bells (also known as There's a Land Beyond the River or When They Ring the Golden Bells) is a prominent American

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

and bluegrass song written in 1887 by

Daniel de Marbelle Daniel de Marbelle (also known as Dion de Marbelle) (1818-1903) was an American gospel music, gospel songwriter, soldier, musician, and early circus clown who wrote ''When They Ring Those Golden Bells'' (also known as "There's a Land Beyond the Rive ...

, a European immigrant, veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and Mexican War, and circus leader. The song describes heaven as "beyond the river," a phrase found in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

Ezra Ezra (; he, עֶזְרָא, '; fl. 480–440 BCE), also called Ezra the Scribe (, ') and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra, was a Jewish scribe (''sofer'') and priest (''kohen''). In Greco-Latin Ezra is called Esdras ( grc-gre, Ἔσδρας ...

4:11 and "golden bells" a reference found in

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

39:25. Marbelle was purportedly cheated out of the

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

to the song and died penniless. The copyright was acquired by the

John Church Company The John Church Company Building is a historic commercial building in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Designed by one of Cincinnati's most prominent architects, it was home to one of the country's leading vendors of sheet music and musi ...

, and the song was first known to be recorded in 1915 by the Imperial Quartet. The song has been covered by many notable artists including

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

Natalie Merchant Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first se ...

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

, and

Alfred Karnes Alfred Grant Karnes (February 2, 1891 – May 18, 1958) was an old time musician and Southern Gospel singer best known for his recordings at the Bristol Sessions in 1927. Biography Born in Bedford County, Virginia, – Gravesite memorial later ...

at the 1927 Bristol sessions.

References

{{Authority control Gospel songs Bluegrass songs American Christian hymns Public domain music Songs about rivers