"Swing Down Sweet Chariot" (sometimes "Swing Down, Ezekiel" or "Swing Down Chariot") is an American spiritual song. It tells the story of

Ezekiel Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...

's vision of the chariot. The title and lyrics are very similar to the spiritual song "

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African-American spiritual song and one of the best-known Christian hymns. Originating in early oral and musical African-American traditions, the date it was composed is unknown. Performances by the Hampton Singer ...

", and is thought to be an adaptation of said song. Composer and lyricist Wallis Willis is credited with composing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". Popularized by the Golden Gate Quartet in the 1940s, it was recorded by Elvis Presley for his 1960 album '' His Hand in Mine'' and was re-recorded for his 1969 film '' The Trouble with Girls''. The 1960 version featured backing vocals by The Jordanaires, and the re-recording featured

the Mello Men The Mellomen were a popular singing quartet active from the late 1940s through the mid-1970s. The group was founded by Thurl Ravenscroft and Max Smith in 1948. They recorded under a variety of names, including Big John and the Buzzards, the Cracker ...

on backing vocals. The version of the song from ''The Trouble with Girls'' was reissued in the 2010 boxed set '' The Complete Elvis Presley Masters'', but this time, it features an all-female group singing background vocals. American pianist/singer

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

recorded "Swing Down Chariot" for his 1971 album ''

I Wrote a Simple Song ''I Wrote a Simple Song'' is the sixth studio album by American soul musician Billy Preston. Released in November 1971, it was his first album for A&M Records and marked the start of a run of commercial success in the United States that lasted th ...

'', with arrangement credited to Preston and Joe Greene. The funk band Rufus did a version on their 1974 recording, ''

Rags to Rufus ''Rags To Rufus'' is the gold-selling second studio album by funk band Rufus (band), Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1974. It reached #4 on both the Pop and Black Albums charts. It is notable for the hit singles "Tell Me Something Goo ...

'', on ABC records. The six band members: Murphy, Fischer, Khan, Stockert, Belfield, Ciner, are credited with composition. The song's chorus is quoted in the

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

song "

Mothership Connection (Star Child) "Mothership Connection (Star Child)" is a funk song by Parliament. It was the third and last single released from the group's 1975 album ''Mothership Connection''. The song introduces George Clinton's messianic alien alter ego Star Child ...

", released in 1975 by Parliament. That portion of "Mothership Connection" is, in turn, sampled by Dr. Dre in his Grammy Award-winning rap song, " Let Me Ride". The song was covered in Icelandic in 1993 as "Gullvagninn" by Björgvin Halldórsson, becoming a hit in Iceland.

References

External links

Lyrics and tab for Swing Down Sweet Chariot(Video) Swing Down Sweet Chariot sung by the Golden Gate Quartet
American folk songs Year of song missing {{Song-stub