"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 an ...

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 after his crucifixion. The canonical gospels each describe the visit of women to Jesus' tomb. Although Jesus' body had been laid out in the tomb after crucifixi ...

; 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 end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Chr ...

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

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) 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 Scotland and brought ...

, on the 45 rpm EP Decca DFE 6345. This version is sometimes erroneously credited to

Chris Barber Donald Christopher Barber (17 April 1930 – 2 March 2021) was an English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and Trombone, trombonist. He helped many musicians with their careers and had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with "Petite Fleur ...

, who played on the recording as a backing musician * 1964

The Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

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 Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s he was a prolific studio musician, including playing organ on the Bob Dylan song " Like ...

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 Louise Jenkins (August 6, 1924 – November 9, 2024) was an American singer-songwriter and centenarian. Called the "First lady of children's music", she was a leading performer of Folk music, folk and children's music. Her 1995 album ''Mult ...

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 an American rock band originally from Monterey, California, formed in 1995. Combining elements of garage rock, Punk rock, punk, psychedelic music, goth rock, post punk, glam rock and 60s pop music, pop. They released th ...

on the album ''Show You What a Baby Won't'' * 2005

on the album ''The Grand Reunion Concert'' * 2012Robert Plant on the album '' Sensational Space Shifters (Live in London July '12)'' * 2013

The 77s The 77s (alternatively spelled the Seventy Sevens, the 77's, or simply 77's) is an American rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon on bass guitar, and Bruce Spencer on drums. History The group was "formed at a ch ...

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 that he develo ...

, a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

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

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme metal, extreme fusion genre of heavy metal music, 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, e ...

song on the album of the same name by

Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...

* 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

{{authority control Gospel songs Blues songs The Animals songs Lonnie Donegan songs John Lee Hooker songs Year of song unknown Songs with unknown songwriters