"You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" (later titled "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond") is a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

song that is attributed to both tradition and to gospel blues musician

Blind Willie Johnson Willie Johnson (January 25, 1897 – September 18, 1945), commonly known as Blind Willie Johnson, was an American gospel blues singer and guitarist. His landmark recordings completed between 1927 and 1930, thirty songs in all, display a combinat ...

. Johnson first recorded the song in December 1930, although Delta blues musician

Charley Patton Charlie Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), more often spelled Charley Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of America ...

recorded a similar "You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die" in October 1929. Over the years, several other musicians have recorded renditions of the song.

Blind Willie Johnson

The lyrics of "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" deal with "the idea that we will all need a legally binding guarantee to gain access to heaven" and that Jesus as our advocate "will provide us with a guarantee or bond, if we follow His ways". Johnson sang the song on the streets of towns in Texas as both entertainment and a calling to adhere to the teachings of Jesus. As with many of his songs, "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" is performed with Johnson on lead vocals and

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

and an unknown female singer accompanying him on vocals. While it was first believed that his wife Angeline Johnson provided those backing vocals, it has since been refuted by Johnson's lead biographer. The second version, titled "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" is nearly identical to the first, with slightly more subdued vocals and backing vocal provided by Willie B. Harris, sometimes considered to be Johnson's first wife. Johnson recorded the first version of the song for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

as "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" on December 11, 1929, in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. He later recorded a second version titled "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" on April 20, 1930, in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, which was Johnson's last recorded song. The songs appear on several Johnson compilation albums – both are included on ''The Complete Blind Willie Johnson'' (1993).

Buffy Sainte-Marie version

In 1964, Buffy Sainte-Marie recorded "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" with slightly altered lyrics and included the song on her debut album, '' It's My Way!''. While her debut album did not chart, it proved influential to both the American and British folk communities. Sainte-Marie recorded the song on acoustic guitar without using a slide and sang without any backup vocals.

Donovan version

Scottish singer-songwriter

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...

recorded "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" in early 1965 for inclusion on his debut album '' What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid''. Since Donovan recorded a version of " Universal Soldier" after hearing it on Buffy Sainte-Marie's debut album, it is likely that he first heard "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" from the same source. Hickory Records released "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" backed with a cover of the song "The Little Tin Soldier" by

Shawn Phillips Shawn Phillips (born February 3, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, primarily influential in the 1960s and 1970s. His work is rooted in folk rock but straddles other genres, including jazz fusion and funk. Phillips has reco ...

, in November 1965 (Hickory 45–1375), but it did not appear in the singles chart.

Other versions

Blues artists

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), nicknamed the King of the Cowboys, was an American singer, actor, television host, and Rodeo, rodeo performer. Following early work under his given name, first as a c ...

and

Norton Buffalo Phillip Jackson (September 28, 1951 – October 30, 2009), best known as Norton Buffalo, was an American singer-songwriter, country music, country and blues harmonica player, record producer, bandleader and recording artist who was a versatile ...

collaborated on a blues album, ''Travellin' Tracks'', producing a remake of "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond", used for the TV series ''

Dog the Bounty Hunter ''Dog the Bounty Hunter'' is an American reality television series which aired on A&E and chronicled Duane "Dog" Chapman's experiences as a bounty hunter. With a few exceptions, the series took place in Hawaii or Dog's home state of Colorado ...

'', S3E20 episode "Ticket to Ride", which first aired September 19, 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:You'll Need Somebody On Your Bond 1929 songs Blind Willie Johnson songs Gospel songs Blues songs Donovan songs Buffy Sainte-Marie songs Taj Mahal (musician) songs