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 Singers and the Fisk Jubilee Singers brought the song to the attention of wider audiences in the late 19th century.

I looked over Jordan and what did I see?
Coming for to carry me home
There was a band of angels, coming after me
Coming for to carry me home

Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home

Well,I’m sometimes up, and i’m sometimes down
Coming for to carry me home
But but I know my soul is heavenly bound
Coming for to carry me home

Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home

Well now,if you get there before I do
Comin’ for to carry me home
Tell all my friends that I’m a-comin’ too
Comin’ for to carry me home

Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home

Biblical references

• 2 Kings 2:11 – “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
• Joshua 3 – representing entering the new land that God promised – “¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. ¹² Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. ¹³ And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.”

Media references

• 1931: Dirigible – sung by Clarence Muse
• 1936: Dimples – hummed by the Hall Johnson Choir
• 1936: The Lonely Trail – sung by a choir
• 1938: Everybody Sing – swing version sung by Judy Garland in blackface at an audition, with special lyrics.
• 1938: Room Service – sung by the Marx Brothers
• 1943: Dixie – sung by Bing Crosby and a chorus^[18]
• 1948: A Date with Judy
• 1950: Young Man with a Horn – sung by a chorus
• 1961: The Alvin Show – sung during one of the show’s musical segments
• 1971: The Hard Ride – sung by Bill Medley
• 1974: Blazing Saddles – briefly sung by Lyle while working on the railroad
• 1976: The Shaggy D.A. – sung by a dog in the dog pound^[25]
• 1980: The Muppet Show—sung by Dizzy Gillespie
• 1982: Honkytonk Man
• 1983: National Lampoon’s Vacation – sung by Clark Griswold
• 1993: Addams Family Values – sung by Gomez Addams on his deathbed
• 1993: Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Episode 1663 – sung by François Clemmons
• 1997: Con Air – sung by Nathan ‘Diamond Dog’ Jones
• 2003: The Fighting Temptations – Performed by Beyoncé
• 2004: Jersey Girl
• 2008: iCarly – sung by Spencer Shay
• 2009: Scrubs in season 8, episode 7 – sung by Elliot Reid
• 2014: Freedom – Performed by The St. Olaf Choir and Marvis Martin
• 2016: The Birth of a Nation