View source for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

{{Short description|Negro spiritual}}
{{for|the album by Paul Robeson|Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (album){{!}}''Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'' (album)}}
{{redirect|Swing Low|the album by Sam Cooke|Swing Low (album)}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = ''Swing Low Sweet Chariot''
| cover         = SwingLowSweetChariot1873.jpg
| alt           = 
| caption       = Page from ''The Jubilee Singers'' (1873)
| type          = 
| artist        = 
| album         = 
| EP            = 
| written       = After 1865
| published     = 
| released      = 
| recorded      = 
| studio        = 
| venue         = 
| genre         = [[Spirituals]]
| length        = 
| label         = 
| writer        = [[Minerva Willis]]<br>[[Wallace Willis]]
| composer      = 
| lyricist      = 
| producer      = 
| prev_title    = 
| prev_year     = 
| title         = 
| next_title    = 
| next_year     = 
}}
{{listen
|filename=Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - Fisk Jubilee Singers (1909).mp3
|title="Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
|description=Performed by the [[Fisk Jubilee Singers]]
}}
"'''Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'''" is an [[Spiritual (music)|African-American spiritual]] song and one of the best-known Christian hymns. Originating in early African-American musical traditions, the song was probably composed in the late 1860s by [[Wallace Willis]] and his daughter [[Minerva Willis]], both [[Choctaw freedmen]]. Performances by the Hampton Singers and the [[Fisk Jubilee Singers]] brought the song to the attention of wider audiences in the late 19th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Swing Low, Sweet Chariot|url=https://hymnary.org/text/i_looked_over_jordan_and_what_did_i_see|access-date=March 5, 2021|website=Hymnary.org|language=en}}</ref> The earliest known recording of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was recorded in 1894 by the Standard Quartette.<ref>{{Cite web |last=hennessey |title=Earliest Recording Of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' Discovered On Wax Cylinder |url=https://www.archeophone.com/press-releases/earliest-swing-low-discovered/ |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=Archeophone Records |language=en-US}}</ref>

The song uses the theme of death to remind the audience of the glory that awaits in [[Heaven in Christianity|Heaven]], when Christians believe they will transcend the earthly world of suffering and come to rest in their final home. Specifically, the text refers to the Old Testament account of the Prophet [[Elijah]]'s ascent into Heaven by chariot.<ref name=":0" /> The stylistic elements and thematic content are highly typical to those of other spirituals. The song is characterized by its use of repetition as a key poetic element, powerful imagery, personal rhetoric, and potentially coded lyrics. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was traditionally performed as a [[Call and response (music)|call-and response]] tune. Its free-form structure intentionally allows for [[Musical improvisation|improvisation]] and spur-of-the-moment changes made to bring the performers and audience to a state of ecstasy and connection with the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]]. The melody is [[Pentatonic scale|pentatonic]].

In 2002, the US [[Library of Congress]] honored the song as one of [[List of recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry|50 recordings chosen that year]] to be added to the [[National Recording Registry]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=2002 {{!}} View Registry by Induction Years {{!}} Recording Registry {{!}} National Recording Preservation Board {{!}} Programs {{!}} Library of Congress|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/registry-by-induction-years/2002/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=Library of Congress}}</ref> It was also included in the list of ''[[Songs of the Century]]'', by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] and the [[National Endowment for the Arts]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=CNN.com - Entertainment - Songs of the Century - March 7, 2001|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/list.top.365.songs/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=CNN}}</ref>

==History==
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was composed by [[Wallace Willis]] and [[Minerva Willis]], [[Choctaw freedmen]] in the old [[Indian Territory]] in what is now Choctaw County, near the County seat of [[Hugo, Oklahoma]], sometime after 1865. He may have been inspired by the sight of the [[Red River of the South|Red River]], by which he was toiling, which reminded him of the [[Jordan River]] and of the Prophet [[Elijah]] being taken to heaven by a chariot (2 Kings 2:11).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20060815/d_sweetchariot.art.htm|title=Story behind spiritual 'Swing Chariot' emerges|website=usatoday30.usatoday.com|access-date=December 4, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Tulsa World, January 28, 2019">{{cite web | url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/michael-overall-how-an-oklahoma-slave-came-to-write-one/article_89101718-6427-5b56-bcb0-a17f798589be.html  |author-first1=Michael |author-last1=Overall| title= How an Oklahoma slave came to write one of the world's most famous songs | date= 27 January 2019 | publisher=Tulsa World, January 28, 2019| access-date=January 28, 2019}}</ref>  Some sources<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pbs.org/wned/underground-railroad/stories-of-freedom/underground-railroad-terminology/ | title=Underground Railroad Terminology | publisher=www.pbs.org | access-date=July 3, 2013 | author=Walls, Bryan | archive-date=October 4, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213038/http://www.pbs.org/wned/underground-railroad/stories-of-freedom/underground-railroad-terminology/ | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-08-14-chariot_x.htm?csp=34 | title=Story behind spiritual 'Sweet Chariot' emerges | newspaper=USA Today | date=August 12, 2006 | access-date=July 3, 2013 | author=Eversley, Melanie}}</ref> claim that this song and "[[Steal Away]]"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slic.njstatelib.org/slic_files/digidocs/h673/h6732002.pdf |title=A Guide to The Underground Railroad in New Jersey |publisher=Njstatelib |access-date=July 3, 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823115712/http://slic.njstatelib.org/slic_files/digidocs/h673/h6732002.pdf |archive-date=August 23, 2013 }}</ref> (also sung by Willis) had lyrics that referred to the [[Underground Railroad]], the freedom movement that helped black people escape from Southern slavery to the North and Canada.

Alexander Reid, a minister at the [[Spencerville, Oklahoma|Old Spencer Academy]], a Choctaw boarding school, heard Willis singing these two songs and transcribed the words and melodies. He sent the music to the [[Fisk Jubilee Singers|Jubilee Singers]] of [[Fisk University]] in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jubilee Singers popularized the songs during a tour of the United States and Europe.<ref name="Tulsa World, January 28, 2019"/>

In 1939, [[Nazi Germany|Nazi Germany's]] [[Reich Music Examination Office]] added the song to a listing of "undesired and harmful" musical works.<ref>{{cite web|title=Banned Music in the Third Reich|url=https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/banned.htm|publisher=[[Völkischer Beobachter]], Full edition Nr. 94 of April 4, 1939|access-date=March 2, 2019}}</ref>

The song enjoyed a resurgence during the 1960s [[Civil Rights]] struggle and the folk revival; it was performed by a number of artists. Perhaps the most famous performance during this period was that by [[Joan Baez]] during the legendary 1969 [[Woodstock]] festival.

Oklahoma State Senator [[Judy Eason McIntyre]] from Tulsa proposed a bill nominating "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as the Oklahoma State official gospel song in 2011.  The bill was co-sponsored by the Oklahoma State Black Congressional Caucus.  Oklahoma Governor [[Mary Fallin]] signed the bill into law on May 5, 2011, at a ceremony at the Oklahoma Cowboy Hall of Fame; making the song the official Oklahoma State Gospel Song.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newson6.com/story/14509639/swing-low-sweet-chariot|title=Oklahoma House Approves 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' As State Gospel Song|website=www.newson6.com|language=en|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref>

== Lyrics ==
<blockquote>
<poem>
'''Refrain:'''
Swing low, sweet chariot,<ref group="note">In subsequent refrains, it is customary to add "Oh" before the first "Swing Low"</ref>
Coming for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.

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

['''Refrain''']

If you get back to heaven before I do,
Coming for to carry me home.
You'll tell all your friends I'll be coming there too,
Coming for to carry me home.

['''Refrain''']

</poem>
</blockquote>

As is typical of folk songs, there is no standardized set of lyrics. The version by the Fisk Jubilee Singers takes the following structure:

<blockquote>
<poem>
'''Refrain:'''
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Coming for to carry me home

['''Refrain''']

I'm sometimes up, I'm sometimes down
Coming for to carry me home
But still my soul feels heavenly bound
Coming for to carry me home

['''Refrain''']

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

['''Refrain''']

['''Refrain''']
</poem>
</blockquote>

== Content and style ==
The content of the song is typical to the style of the spiritual in several ways: its use of imagery that provides a sense of immediacy to the historical and biblical past, the repetition of the key poetic element of the song (“Coming for to carry me home”), and the alteration between the refrain and the stanzas throughout.  The song alternates between first person and second person pronouns, stressing the relationship between the performer, the listener, and the events unfolding in the song. By directly calling to the listener in the second stanza (“If you get there before I do”) the audience is transformed into a creative device that serves to heighten the emotional urgency of the tune.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Peters|first=Erskine|date=1989|title=The Poetics of the Afro-American Spiritual|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2904207|journal=Black American Literature Forum|volume=23|issue=3|pages=559–578|doi=10.2307/2904207|jstor=2904207|issn=0148-6179|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The song was originally intended to be sung in a [[Call and response (music)|call-and-response]], a format that draws from the heritage of African styles of music and is widely used in African-American churches today. A leader sings the differentiated lines, and the congregation replies “Coming for to carry me home” after each. This style of performing the spiritual can be heard in the existing recordings of the Fisk Jubilee Singers performing the tune. This call-and-response performance style is the most common form of spiritual.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|author=Darden, Bob|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/875302254|title=People get ready! : a new history of Black gospel music|date=5 October 2005|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-0-8264-1752-7|oclc=875302254}}</ref>

The simple, repetitive nature of the song, along with the fact that it was commonly performed without instrumental accompaniment, meant that spontaneous shifts in tempo, pitch, and emphasis were commonly made, leading the song in new and exciting directions intended to unify congregants with the Holy Spirit.<ref name=":1" />

Like other spirituals, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” has been thought to contain coded meanings not immediately apparent to all listeners. American historian Charshee Charlotte Lawrence McIntyre argues that many spirituals make use of “metonymic devices,” or metaphors that have encoded meanings. She claims that throughout many traditional spirituals several recurring figures always carry a metonymic double meaning. These double meanings allowed enslaved people to safely communicate messages of hope, freedom, and specific plans for escape to one another under the watchful gaze of their captors. The double meanings encoded in “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” are believed to be the [[Jordan River]] as representative of the first step to freedom from slavery, “home” as [[Africa]], and [[Jesus]] as anyone who helps bring the enslaved to freedom. However, a definitive categorization of any such figures is impossible to make.

==Film, video games, and television appearances==
The song has frequently been used in films and television.
* 1931: ''[[Dirigible (film)|Dirigible]]'' – sung by [[Clarence Muse]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Croce|first1=Fernando|title=Dirigible (Frank Capra / U.S., 1931)|url=http://mail.cinepassion.org/Reviews/d/Dirigible.html|website=CinePassion|access-date=December 28, 2017}}</ref> 
* 1936: ''[[Dimples (1936 film)|Dimples]]'' –  hummed by the Hall Johnson Choir<ref>{{cite book|last1=Simpson|first1=Eugene Thamon|title=Hall Johnson: His Life, His Spirit, and His Music|date=2008|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0810860384|page=116}}</ref>
* 1936: ''[[The Lonely Trail]]'' – sung by a choir
* 1938: ''[[Everybody Sing (film)|Everybody Sing]]'' – swing version sung by [[Judy Garland]] in blackface at an audition, with special lyrics.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lupack|first1=Barbara Tepa|title=Nineteenth-Century Women at the Movies: Adapting Classic Women's Fiction to Film|date=1999|publisher=Popular Press|isbn=0879728051|page=[https://archive.org/details/nineteenthcentur0000unse_c8n6/page/245 245]|url=https://archive.org/details/nineteenthcentur0000unse_c8n6/page/245}}</ref>
* 1938: ''[[Room Service (1938 film)|Room Service]]'' – sung by the [[Marx Brothers]]<ref>{{cite book|last1= Koestenbaum|first1=Wayne|title=The Anatomy of Harpo Marx|date=2012|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0520269019|page=117}}</ref>
* 1943: ''[[Dixie (film)|Dixie]]'' – sung by [[Bing Crosby]] and a chorus<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dunne|first1=Michael|title=American Film Musical Themes and Forms|date=2004|publisher=McFarland Publishing|isbn=078641877X|pages=45–46}}</ref>
* 1944: [[The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944 film)|''The Adventures of Mark Twain'']] - sung by [[Fredric March]] playing [[Mark Twain|Samuel Clemens]]
* 1948: ''[[A Date with Judy (film)|A Date with Judy]]''<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cornelius|first1=David|title=A Date With Judy|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/33200/date-with-judy-a/|website=DVD Talk|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
* 1950: ''[[Young Man with a Horn (film)|Young Man with a Horn]]'' – sung by a chorus<ref>{{cite book|last1=Goldsmith|first1=Melissa|last2=Wilson|first2=Paige|last3=Fonseca|first3=Anthony|title=The Encyclopedia of Musicians and Bands on Film|date=2016|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-1442269866|pages=353–354}}</ref>
* 1961: ''[[The Alvin Show]]'' – sung during one of the show's musical segments<ref>{{cite web|title=Production Information about the TV Cartoon Bentley Van Rolls|url=https://www.bcdb.com/cartoon-info/55472-Bentley-Van-Rolls|website=The Big Cartoon Database|access-date=November 3, 2021}}{{dead link|date=January 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
* 1970: ''[[Woodstock (film)|Woodstock]]'' - sung by [[Joan Baez]] at the 1969 [[Woodstock Festival]] in Bethel, New York.
* 1971: ''[[The Hard Ride]]'' – sung by [[Bill Medley]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Stanfield|first=Peter|title=Hoodlum Movies: Seriality And The Outlaw Biker Film Cycle, 1966–1972|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0813599032|date=2018|publisher=Rutgers University Press|location=New Brunswick, New Jersey|isbn=978-0813599021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Devine|first=Jeremy|title=Vietnam at 24 Frames a Second: A Critical and Thematic Analysis of 360 Films About the Vietnam War|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1476605351|date=1995|publisher=McFarland & Company|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1476605357}}</ref>
* 1974: ''[[Blazing Saddles]]'' – briefly sung by Lyle, albeit in a mocking tone, while working on the railroad<ref>{{Citation|title=Blazing Saddles (1974) – IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/soundtrack|access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref>
* 1976: ''[[The Shaggy D.A.]]'' – sung by a dog in the dog pound<ref>{{cite web|last1=Scribner|first1=John|title=Worst Disney 52: The Shaggy D.A.|url=http://www.cinema52.com/2015/05/worst-disney-52-shaggy-d/|website=Cinema 52|date=20 May 2015 |access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref>
* 1980: ''The Muppet Show''— sung by [[Dizzy Gillespie]]
* 1982: ''[[Honkytonk Man]]''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Knapp|first1=Laurence|title=Directed by Clint Eastwood: Eighteen Films Analyzed|date=1996|publisher=McFarland & Co.|isbn=0786402717|page=[https://archive.org/details/directedbyclinte00knap/page/113 113]|url=https://archive.org/details/directedbyclinte00knap/page/113}}</ref>
* 1983: ''[[National Lampoon's Vacation]]'' – sung by Clark Griswold (played by [[Chevy Chase]])<ref>{{cite web|title=Quotes Description|url=http://www.moviequotes.com/fullquote.cgi?qnum=59085|website=Movie Quotes|access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref>
* 1984: ''[[Revenge of the Nerds]]'' - played on a record player before being quickly stopped by Lamar.
* 1993: ''[[Addams Family Values]]'' – sung by Gomez Addams (played by [[Raúl Juliá]]) on his deathbed<ref>{{cite web|title=The 'Addams Family Values' Cast Reveals Behind-The-Scenes Secrets 20 Years Later|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/jaimieetkin/the-addams-family-values-20th-anniversary|website=BuzzFeed|date=19 November 2013 |access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref>
* 1993: ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]'' Episode 1993 – sung by [[François Clemmons]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Long|first1=Michael|title=Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers|date=2015|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|location=Louisville, KY|isbn=978-0664260477|page=97}}</ref>
* 1997: ''[[Con Air]]'' – sung by Nathan 'Diamond Dog' Jones (played by [[Ving Rhames]])<ref>{{cite web|title=The 'Con Air (1997) Quotes IMDB|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118880/quotes/qt0388643|website=IMDB|access-date=December 21, 2020}}</ref>
* 2001: ''[[Futurama]]'' in season 3, episode 3 - sung by [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]] (played by [[John DiMaggio]])
* 2003: ''[[The Fighting Temptations]]'' - Performed by [[Beyoncé]]
* 2003: ''[[The Saddest Music in the World]]'' - sung by [[Maria de Medeiros]]
* 2004: ''[[Jersey Girl (2004 film)|Jersey Girl]]''
* 2007: ''[[The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night]]'' - sung by Sparx (played by [[Billy West]])
* 2008: [[iCarly]] - sung by [[List of iCarly characters|Spencer Shay]] (played by [[Jerry Trainor]])
* 2009: ''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'' in season 8, episode 7 - sung by Elliot Reid (played by [[Sarah Chalke]])
* 2012: ''[[Brickleberry]]'' in season 1, episode 5 - sung by Steve Williams (in black) (voiced by [[David Herman]])
* 2014: ''[[Freedom (2014 film)|Freedom]]'' – Performed by The St. Olaf Choir and [[Marvis Martin]]<ref>{{Citation|title=Freedom (2014) – IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2584018/soundtrack|access-date=June 19, 2020}}</ref>
* 2016: ''[[The Birth of a Nation (2016 film)|The Birth of a Nation]]''<ref>{{cite news|title=The Birth of a Nation: how Nate Parker failed to remake history|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/oct/10/the-birth-of-a-nation-problems-nate-parker|access-date=December 3, 2017|work=The Guardian|date=October 10, 2016}}</ref>
* 2016: ''[[The Amazing World of Gumball]]'' Episode: "The Origins"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Kevin |title=The Amazing World of Gumball succeeds with a simple, silly origin story |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-amazing-world-of-gumball-succeeds-with-a-simple-si-1798186580 |access-date=January 6, 2020 |work=The A.V. Club |date=February 15, 2016}}</ref>
* 2019: ''[[The X Factor: Celebrity]]'' – performed by group Try Star (composed of former [[rugby union]] players Levi Davis, [[Thom Evans]] and [[Ben Foden]]) on the second live show<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rowan |first1=Kate |title=Rugby must make the most of popularity surge following Japan – Joe Marler should be the new face of the sport on TV |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-world-cup/2019/11/05/rugby-must-make-popularity-surge-following-japan-joe-marler/ |access-date=January 6, 2020 |work=The Telegraph |date=November 5, 2019}}</ref>
* 2024: ''[[Bonhoeffer (film)|Bonhoeffer]]''

==Renditions==
A popular early recording<ref>{{cite book|last1=Whitburn|first1=Joel|title=Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954|date=1986|publisher=Record Research Inc|location=Wisconsin|isbn=0-89820-083-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/159 159]|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/159}}</ref> was by the [[Fisk Jubilee Singers|Fisk University Jubilee Quartet]] for [[Victor Talking Machine Company|Victor Records]] (No. 16453) on December 1, 1909,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Online Discographical Project|url=http://www.78discography.com/vic16000.html|website=78discography.com|access-date=August 6, 2017}}</ref> which became the first gospel song to sell 1 million copies<ref name="Music Weird">{{cite web|url=https://musicweird.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-first-million-selling-gospel-single.html|title=The first million-selling gospel single?|author=[[Greg Adams (writer)|Greg Adams]]|date=February 19, 2017|website=Music Weird|publisher=[[Blogspot]]|access-date=January 25, 2024}}</ref> and is one of the [[List of best-selling gospel music artists#Best-selling gospel songs|best-selling gospel songs of all time]]. Two years later the Apollo Jubilee Quartette recorded the song on Monday, February 26, 1912, [[Columbia Records]] (A1169), [[New York City]].<ref>Dixon, Robert M. W. ''Blues and Gospel Records: 1890–1943 (Blues and Gospel Records)'', Oxford University Press (1997), p. 23 – {{ISBN|0-19-816239-1}}</ref><ref>Brooks, Tim. ''Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1890–1919'', University of Illinois Press (2004), p. 258 – {{ISBN|0-252-02850-3}}</ref>

Since then, numerous versions have been recorded; including those by [[Nellie Melba]] (one of her last recordings, made in June 1926), [[Bing Crosby]] (recorded April 25, 1938),<ref>{{cite web|title=A Bing Crosby Discography|url=http://www.bingmagazine.co.uk/bingmagazine/crosby1bDecca.html|website=BING magazine|publisher=International Club Crosby|access-date=August 6, 2017}}</ref> [[Kenny Ball]] and His Jazzmen (included in the album ''The Kenny Ball Show'' – 1962), [[Louis Armstrong]] (for his album ''[[Louis and the Good Book]]'' – 1958), [[Sam Cooke]] (for his album ''[[Swing Low (album)|Swing Low]]'' – 1961), [[Vince Hill]] (1993),<ref>{{cite web|title=Discogs.com|url=https://www.discogs.com/Vince-Hill-Swing-Low-Sweet-Chariot/release/3015867|website=Discogs.com|date=1993 |access-date=August 6, 2017}}</ref> [[Peggy Lee]] (1946),<ref>{{cite web|title=The Peggy Lee Bio-Discography And Videography|url=http://www.peggyleediscography.com/p/pegsongs.php|website=peggyleediscography.com|access-date=August 6, 2017}}</ref> and [[Paul Robeson]] (recorded January 7, 1926 for Victor  (No. 20068)).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Online Discographical Project|url=http://www.78discography.com/vic20000.html|website=78discography.com|access-date=August 6, 2017}}</ref> In 1951, [[Dizzy Gillespie]] replaced the chariot with a [[Cadillac]]; first a [[Cadillac Fleetwood|Fleetwood]] and later, as on the 1967 album ''[[Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac]]'', an [[Cadillac Eldorado|Eldorado]].<ref>{{multiref|
{{cite book |last1=Grandt |first1=Jürgen E. |title=Kinds of Blue: The Jazz Aesthetic in African American Narrative |date=2004 |publisher=Ohio State University Press |isbn=978-0-8142-0980-6 |page=124 n. 20 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wNjJtndXi-YC&pg=PA124 |language=en}}|
{{cite AV media |url=https://archive.org/details/78_swing-low-sweet-cadillac_dizzy-gillespie-dizzy-gillespie-milt-jackson-billy-graham_gbia0399851b?webamp=default |first1=Dizzy |last1=Gillespie |first2=Milt |last2=Jackson |first3=Billy  |last3=Graham |first4=Percy  |last4=Heath |first5=Al (Junior) |last5=Jones |at=1m10s |title=Dizzy Gillespie plays Swing Low Sweet Cadillac |date=1951 |id=dee gee 3601 B |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
}}</ref>

===Biviano Accordion Sextette===
{{external media |audio1 = You may listen to the Joe Biviano Accordion Rhythm Sextette with [[John Serry Sr.]] and [[Tony Mottola]] performing ''Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'' in 1945 [https://archive.org/details/78_swing-low-sweet-chariot_joe-biviano-his-accordion-and-rhythm-sextette_gbia0071954d '''Here''']}}

The jazz accordionist/composer [[John Serry Sr.]] recorded the composition with the jazz guitarist [[Tony Mottola]]
as members of the Biviano Accordion & Rhythm Sextette in 1947 for Sonora Records on the album ''Accordion Capers'' (Sonora # MS 476).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/mbid-47ec1899-c909-4d5f-b38c-4920df8f57d9|title=Accordion Capers|first=his Accordion and Rhythm Sextette|last=Joe Biviano|date=June 19, 1947|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/78_swing-low-sweet-chariot_joe-biviano-his-accordion-and-rhythm-sextette-john-serry_gbia0037324|title=Leone Jump; Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; The Jazz Me Blues; Nursery Rhymes|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Eric Clapton===
{{Infobox song
| name          = Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
| cover         = Eric Clapton Swing Low Sweet Chariot.jpg
| alt           = 
| type          = single
| artist        = [[Eric Clapton]]
| album         = [[There's One in Every Crowd]]
| B-side        = [[Pretty Blue Eyes (Eric Clapton song)|Pretty Blue Eyes]]
| released      = {{Start date|1975|05}}
| recorded      = 
| studio        = 
| venue         = 
| genre         = [[Blues rock]] · [[reggae]]
| length        = {{Duration|m=3|s=33}}
| label         = [[RSO Records|RSO]]
| writer        = [[Wallace Willis]]
| producer      = [[Tom Dowd]]
| chronology    = [[Eric Clapton]]
| prev_title    = [[Willie and the Hand Jive]]
| prev_year     = 1974
| next_title    = [[Knockin' on Heaven's Door]]
| next_year     = 1975
}}

[[United Kingdom|British]] [[rock music]]ian [[Eric Clapton]] recorded a reggae version of the song for his 1975 [[studio album]] ''[[There's One in Every Crowd]]''. RSO Records released it with the B-side "[[Pretty Blue Eyes (Eric Clapton song)|Pretty Blue Eyes]]" as a seven-inch gramophone single in May the same year, produced by [[Tom Dowd]].<ref name="Hung">{{cite web|url=http://www.hitparade.ch/song/Eric-Clapton/Swing-Low-Sweet-Chariot-21099|title=Eric Clapton – Swing Low Sweet Chariot – hitparade.ch|publisher=Steffen Hung – Hung Medien|work=[[Swiss Hitparade|Schweizer Hitparade]]|language=de|access-date=October 21, 2015}}</ref> His version reached various singles charts, including Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

====Weekly chart performance====
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Chart (1975)
!Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Japan ([[Oricon]])<ref>{{cite book|first=Ren|last=Tatsaku|title=The Oricon Sales Report|year=2011|location=[[Tokyo]]|publisher=Oricon Style – Recording Industry Association of Japan|language=ja}}</ref>
|89
|-
{{singlechart|Dutch40|21|song=Swing Low Sweet Chariot|artist=Eric Clapton|rowheader=true|access-date=October 21, 2015}}
|-
{{singlechart|Dutch100|26|song=Swing Low Sweet Chariot|artist=Eric Clapton|rowheader=true|access-date=October 21, 2015}}
|-
{{singlechart|New Zealand|15|song=Swing Low Sweet Chariot|artist=Eric Clapton|rowheader=true|access-date=October 21, 2015}}
|-
{{singlechart|UK|19|song=Swing Low Sweet Chariot|artist=Eric Clapton|date=1975-06-01|rowheader=true|access-date=October 21, 2015}}
|}

===References in other songs===
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" contains the lyrics, "I looked over Jordan and what did I see? Coming for to carry me home". [[Pink Floyd|Pink Floyd's]] 1977 song "[[Sheep (Pink Floyd song)|Sheep]]", written by [[Roger Waters]], makes reference to the song with the lyrics, "I've looked over Jordan and I have seen, things are not what they seem". A later 1992 song by Waters, "[[The Bravery of Being Out of Range]]", makes further reference to the song with the lyrics, "I looked over Jordan and what did I see? I saw a U.S. Marine in a pile of debris".

==Use in rugby union==
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" has been sung by English rugby players and fans for some decades,<ref name="SwingLow2">{{cite web | title = The story behind "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and how it became a rugby anthem. | url = http://www.everyhit.com/stories/swing_low_sweet_chariot.html | publisher=everyhit.com | access-date = October 8, 2007 }}</ref> and there are associated gestures, sometimes used in a [[drinking game]], which requires those who wrongly perform the gestures to buy a round of drinks.<ref>[[Hash House Harriers]], [http://www.ankarahhh.org/songs.htm Hash Songs], [http://www.ankarahhh.org Ankara Hash House Harriers] Retrieved February 7, 2009</ref><ref>Hugh Farrelly. [http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/six-nations/comment-analysis/oti-the-man-to-blame-as-swing-low-sweet-chariot-continues-to-roll-1315068.html "Oti the man to blame as 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' continues to roll"], ''[[Irish Independent]]'', March 13, 2008.</ref> Folk singer Joe Stead claimed he introduced it to the rugby fraternity as early as 1960 after hearing it from civil rights activist [[Paul Robeson]].<ref name=bbcnews070320/> An article published in ''[[Tatler]]'' in 1966 described a "tradition" at the West Park bar at Twickenham of patrons singing the song whilst swaying as one, shoulder-to-shoulder.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/02/complicated-history-of-swing-low-sweet-chariot-needs-to-be-taught-and-honoured |title=Complicated history of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot needs to be taught and honoured |last=Bull |first=Andy |date=July 2, 2020 |website=[[theguardian.com]] |access-date=July 2, 2020}}</ref> It became associated with the England national side, in particular, in 1988.

=== First documented singing at Twickenham (1987) ===
The [[World Rugby Museum]] in 2020 unearthed archive footage of "Swing Low" being sung at Twickenham when [[Martin Offiah]] (nicknamed "Chariots" as a [[Word play|play-on-words]] referencing the 1981 film ''[[Chariots of Fire]]''), played in the 1987 [[Middlesex Sevens]] tournament.<ref name=bbcnews070320>{{Cite news|last=Lowbridge|first=Caroline|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-51646140|title=Swing Low, Sweet Chariot rugby 'mystery solved'|date=March 7, 2020|work=BBC News|access-date=March 7, 2020|language=en-GB}}</ref> The curator of the museum believes the crowd at Twickenham would already have known "Swing Low" because it had been sung in rugby clubs since the 1960s, with rude gestures illustrating the words.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby-union/i-hate-swing-low-sweet-chariot-says-former-hooker-brian-moore-2890266 |title='I hate Swing Low Sweet Chariot' says former hooker Brian Moore |newspaper=[[The Scotsman]] |first=Jamie |last=Gardner |date=June 19, 2020 |access-date=July 4, 2020}}</ref>

=== First documented singing at an England international match (1988) ===
Coming into the last match of the 1988 season, against Ireland at [[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]], England had lost 15 of their previous 23 matches in the [[Six Nations Championship#History and expansion|Five Nations Championship]]. The Twickenham crowd had only seen one solitary England try in the previous two years and at half time against Ireland they were 0–3 down. However, during the second half England scored six tries to give them a 35–3 win. The official account of this occasion from the [[Rugby Football Union]] is that a group of fans from [[Market Bosworth]] [[Market Bosworth RFC|rugby club]] in the West Stand started singing the song before it was taken up by the rest of the crowd.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The story of how Swing Low, Sweet Chariot became England Rugby's anthem | website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OaNx0zo3rA |access-date=May 9, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="SwingLow">{{cite web |url= http://www.rfu.com/microsites/museum/index.cfm?fuseaction=faqs.slsc |title= Swing Low, Sweet Chariot |publisher=rfu.com |access-date= August 15, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071025050634/http://www.rfu.com/microsites/museum/index.cfm?fuseaction=faqs.slsc |archive-date=October 25, 2007}}</ref> Another account states that a group of boys from [[Douai School]] were the ones in the crowd to begin singing the song before it was taken up by other fans.<ref name="SwingLow2" /><ref>Oliver Price [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/feb/05/rugbyunion.features Blood, mud and aftershave] in [[The Observer]] Sunday February 5, 2006, Section ''O is for Oti''</ref> The song is still regularly sung at matches by English supporters.<ref>{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Jim |date=March 16, 2014 |title=Italy 11 – England 52: Stuart Lancaster's men end with a flourish  |newspaper=Sunday Express |url=http://www.express.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/465077/Italy-11-England-52-Stuart-Lancaster-s-men-end-with-a-flourish}}</ref>

=== 2020 review ===
In 2020 the Rugby Football Union, in response to the increased interest in the [[Black Lives Matter]] movement after the murder of [[George Floyd]], said it was "reviewing" fans' use of the song. Former rugby player [[Brian Moore (rugby union)|Brian Moore]] and [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|Prince Harry]] both argued that the song should no longer be sung in rugby contexts.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Prince Harry backs rugby move to kick out slavery song Swing Low, Sweet Chariot|newspaper=[[The Times]]|language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/rugby-union/article/prince-harry-backs-rugby-move-to-kick-out-slavery-song-swing-low-sweet-chariot-93bdw2qjk|access-date=June 21, 2020|issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=June 21, 2020|title=Ex-England hooker Brian Moore says Swing Low, Sweet Chariot must go|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/300039265/exengand-hooker-brian-moore-says-swing-low-sweet-chariot-must-go|access-date=June 21, 2020|website=Stuff|language=en}}</ref> Former [[Barbarian F.C.|Barbarian]] and [[Rugby League Hall of Fame]] player [[Martin Offiah]] shortly afterwards said that he thought the song should be retained as an opportunity to educate England's and other nationalities' rugby fans about [[racial discrimination]] and [[Black British people|Black history]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53096584|title=Black Lives Matter: RFU reviewing use of slave song Swing Low, Sweet Chariot|work=BBC Sport |date=June 18, 2020}}</ref> Former [[England women's national rugby union team|England]] player [[Maggie Alphonsi]] said  "I think it's good the RFU are having a review, but I don't agree with it being banned".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12321/12010398/swing-low-debate-a-chance-to-educate-will-greenwood-maggie-alphonsi-topsy-ojo-discuss |title='Swing Low debate a chance to educate' - Will Greenwood, Maggie Alphonsi, Topsy Ojo discuss &#124; Rugby Union News &#124; Sky Sports |access-date=2020-06-21 |archive-date=2020-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622134301/https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12321/12010398/swing-low-debate-a-chance-to-educate-will-greenwood-maggie-alphonsi-topsy-ojo-discuss |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Rugby-related record releases ==
===1991===
The song became the England [[Rugby World Cup]] theme for the [[1991 Rugby World Cup]], when performed by "Union featuring the England World Cup Squad". It reached number 16 on the [[UK singles chart]].

===1995===
The song was covered in 1995 for [[1995 Rugby World Cup|that year's tournament]] by British reggae duo [[China Black]] together with South African male choral group, [[Ladysmith Black Mambazo]]. Released as a single on 22 May 1995, it reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=57|date=20 May 1995}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=swing low sweet chariot {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/swing-low-sweet-chariot/|access-date=25 January 2022|website=www.officialcharts.com}}</ref>

===1999===
[[1999 Rugby World Cup|1999's tournament]] featured [[Russell Watson]] record a version (titled '''Swing Low '99''') which had less success, only peaking at number 38 on the UK chart.<ref>{{Cite web|title=swing low {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/swing-low/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en}}</ref>

===2003===
{{Infobox song
| name       = Swing Low
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[UB40]] featuring United Colours of Sound
| album      = [[Homegrown (UB40 album)|Homegrown]]
| B-side     = "Swing Low" (Stadium mix)
| released   = {{start date|2003|10|27}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=33|date=October 25, 2003}}</ref>
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = <!-- Do not add unsourced genres -->
| length     = 3:27
| label      = [[DEP International]]
| writer     = {{hlist|Charlie Skarbek|Traditional}}
| producer   = [[Charlie Skarbek]]
| chronology = [[UB40]]
| prev_title = Cover Up
| prev_year  = 2002
| next_title = [[Kiss and Say Goodbye]]
| next_year  = 2005
}}
The song enjoyed more success in [[2003 Rugby World Cup|2003's tournament]], but included the album ''[[Homegrown (UB40 album)|Homegrown]]'', when recorded by [[UB40]] and the United Colours of Sound. It originally peaked at number 23, but following England's victory in the tournament, the cover reached number 15.<ref name="ub40charts">{{cite web | url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/ub40/ | title=UK Charts – UB40 | publisher=www.officialcharts.com | access-date=June 14, 2013}}</ref><ref name="do">{{cite web | url=http://www.discogs.com/UB40-Featuring-United-Colours-Of-Sound-Swing-Low/release/1654662 | title=Swing Low | date=December 2003 | publisher=www.discogs.com | access-date=June 14, 2013}}</ref> In the wake of the tournament, UB40 performed the song at a concert at the NEC Arena Birmingham that was attended by England rugby fans and captain [[Martin Johnson (rugby union)|Martin Johnson]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb25pqs-OEA UB40 – ''Swing Low Sweet Chariot'' (live at the NEC Arena Birmingham, 2003)] YouTube</ref>  The [[England national rugby union team]] returned from the [[2003 Rugby World Cup]] triumph in Australia on a plane dubbed "Sweet Chariot".<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3232174.stm England rugby heroes head home] BBC, November 24, 2003</ref>

===2007===
Another version was recorded by [[Blake (band)|Blake]] for the [[2007 Rugby World Cup]].

===2011===
For the [[2011 Rugby World Cup]] in New Zealand, all-girl group Our Lady Muse (O.L.M) released an England Rugby World Cup Song.  An upbeat party anthem version of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – The Song was premiered at the "Polo Rocks" concert in aid of [[The Princes Trust|The Prince's Trust]].

===2015===
{{Infobox song
| name       = Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
| cover      = Ella Eyre Swing Low Sweet Chariot.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Ella Eyre]]
| album      =
| released   = September 7, 2015
| recorded   = 2014
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Pop music|Pop]]
| length     = 3:14
| label      = [[Virgin EMI Records]]
| writer     = [[Wallace Willis]]
| producer   = {{flatlist|
* Glyn Aikins
* Mojam
}}
| prev_title = [[Good Times (Ella Eyre song)|Good Times]]
| prev_year  = 2015
| next_title = [[Best of My Love (The Emotions song)|Best of My Love]]
| next_year  = 2015
}}
English singer [[Ella Eyre]] released a cover version of the song on September 7, 2015 as a [[Music download|digital download]] in association with [[England national rugby union team|England Rugby]], to coincide with the [[2015 Rugby World Cup]], with the song raising money for England Rugby's All Schools programme. The song was produced by Glyn Aikins and Mojam, it peaked to number 134 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and number 87 on the [[Scottish Singles and Albums Charts|Scottish Singles Chart]]. A music video to accompany the release of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was first released onto YouTube on September 10, 2015 at a total length of three minutes and ten seconds.

====Track listing====
{{Track listing
| headline = Digital download<ref name="iTunes">{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/swing-low-sweet-chariot-single/1034783491|title=Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – Single by Ella Eyre|website=Apple&nbsp;Music}}</ref>
| title1  = Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
| length1 = 3:14
}}

====Chart performance====
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2015)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{singlechart|Scotland|87|date=2015-09-18|rowheader=true}}
|-
! scope="row"| UK Singles ([[UK Singles Chart|Official Charts Company]])<ref>[http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/150919cluk.txt Chart: CLUK Update 19.09.2015 (wk38)]. [[Official Charts Company]]. Zobbel.de/</ref>
| align="center"| 134
|-
|}

====Release history====
{|class=wikitable
! Region
! Date
! Format
! Label
|-
| [[United Kingdom]]
| September 7, 2015<ref name="iTunes"/>
| [[Music download|Digital download]]
| [[Virgin EMI Records]]
|-
|}

===2018===
Country and gospel artist, [[Josh Turner]], released a cover of the song on the 2018 album, [[I Serve a Savior]]. The album was Turner's first release that contained mainly gospel music.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.countrythangdaily.com/josh-turner-i-serve-a-savior/ |title = Praise the Almighty with Josh Turner's "I Serve a Savior"| date=25 May 2021 }}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Swing Down Sweet Chariot]], a song with a similar title and theme popularized by the Golden Gate Quartet and Elvis

===African-American spirituals===
* [[Songs of the Underground Railroad]]

===Rugby union fan songs===
* "[[Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau]]" (Land of My Fathers)
* "[[Cwm Rhondda]]" (Bread of Heaven)
* "[[Hymns and Arias]]"
* "[[Sosban Fach]]"
* "[[Delilah (Tom Jones song)#Use in Welsh rugby|Delilah]]"
* "[[Flower of Scotland]]"
* "[[The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond|Loch Lomond]]"
* "[[Ireland's Call]]"
* "[[The Fields of Athenry]]"
* "[[Shosholoza]]"

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.songbirdofswing.com/the_songs/Swing_Low/ Listen to an a cappella version of Swing Low Sweet Chariot] – sung by Gail Selkirk
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027111920/http://geocities.com/budapesthhh/song/hymn.html |date=October 27, 2009 |title=Hash House Harrier version of gestures for 'Swing Low' }}
*[http://www.instantchoir.com/swinglowsweetchariot Swing Low Sweet Chariot for choir]
*[https://archive.org/details/78_swing-low-sweet-chariot_joe-biviano-his-accordion-and-rhythm-sextette-john-serry_gbia0037324/04+-+Swing+Low%2C+Sweet+Chariot+-+Joe+Biviano%2C+his+Accordion+and+Rhythm+Sextette.flac Swing Low Sweet Chariot performed by the Joe Biviano Accordion and Rhythm Sextette including John Serry Sr. (accodordion),  Angelo Delleria (accordion), and Tony Mattola (guitar) in 1945 on archive.org]

{{Underground Railroad}}
{{Eric Clapton singles}}
{{UB40}}
{{Ella Eyre}}
{{England national rugby union team}}
{{List of U.S. state songs}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swing Low, Sweet Chariot}}
[[Category:1860s songs]]
[[Category:African-American cultural history]]
[[Category:Drinking songs|Swing Low, Swing Chariot]]
[[Category:Ella Eyre songs]]
[[Category:Eric Clapton songs]]
[[Category:Lead Belly songs]]
[[Category:Johnny Mathis songs]]
[[Category:Paul Robeson songs]]
[[Category:Mildred Bailey songs]]
[[Category:Al Hirt songs]]
[[Category:Sporting songs|Swing Low, Swing Chariot]]
[[Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings]]
[[Category:African-American spiritual songs]]
[[Category:UB40 songs]]
[[Category:Year of song unknown]]
[[Category:England national rugby union team]]
[[Category:2003 singles]]
[[Category:RSO Records singles]]
[[Category:Virgin EMI Records singles]]
[[Category:Flying chariots]]