In My Time of Dying
| "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed" | |
|---|---|
 Original 1928 78-rpm record | |
| Single by Blind Willie Johnson | |
| Released | 1928 |
| Recorded | Dallas, Texas, December 3, 1927 |
| Genre | Gospel blues |
| Length | 3:12 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | Unknown |
"In My Time of Dying" (also called "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed" or a variation thereof) is a gospel music song by Blind Willie Johnson. The title line, closing each stanza of the song, refers to a deathbed and was inspired by a passage in the Bible from Psalms 41:3 "The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing, thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness". Numerous artists have recorded variations, including Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin.
Early versions
The lyrics "Jesus goin' a-make up my dyin' bed" appear in historian Robert Emmet Kennedy's Mellows – A Chronicle of Unknown Singers published in 1925, on Louisiana street performers, and also listed in the Cleveland Library's Index to Negro Spirituals.[1][2] The variation "He is a Dying-bed maker" appears in the song "When I's Dead and Gone" as transcribed in 1924 or 1925 in the south-east.[3] A close theme in English hymnary is found in Isaac Watts,[4] and many derivative hymnals. In October 1926, Reverend J. C. Burnett recorded "Jesus Is Going to Make Up Your Dying Bed", but it was never issued. Blind Willie Johnson may have heard Burnett's song or otherwise learned some of his lyrics.
Blind Willie Johnson recorded the song during his first recording session on December 3, 1927, as "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed" and the second take was released as his first single in 1928, backed by "I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole".[5] Johnson performed the song as a gospel blues with his vocal and slide guitar accompaniment, using an open D tuning with a capo resulting in a pitch of E flat. An initial pressing of 9,400 records showed Columbia's confidence in the song, who normally released fewer records for major stars such as Bessie Smith. A later pressing of 6,000 was very large for a debut and it was one of Johnson's most successful records.
In 1928, Rev. B.J. Hill and the Jubilee Gospel Team recorded "Lower My Dying Head"
In 1932, Martha Emmons published a nine-stanza, nine-refrains, version that she heard in Waco, Texas, under the title "Tone de Bell Easy".[6] Two years later John and Alan Lomax printed a composite with 11 stanzas and 9 refrains.[7]
Bob Dylan version
The song gained greater prominence in popular music when Bob Dylan included a version and gave himself credit (along with several others dealing with the subject of death) on his 1962 eponymous debut album.[8][9] The song, closest to Josh White's version, had a slightly different name on the Dylan album, "In My Time of Dyin'".
According to the album liner notes:
Dylan had never sung "In My Time of Dyin'" prior to this recording session. He does not recall where he first heard it. The guitar is fretted with the lipstick holder makeshift slide he borrowed from girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, who sat devotedly and wide-eyed through the recording session.[10]
Led Zeppelin version
| "In My Time of Dying" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Led Zeppelin | |
| from the album Physical Graffiti | |
| Released | February 24, 1975 |
| Recorded | 1974 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | |
| Length | 11:08 |
| Label | Swan Song |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page |
Led Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying" was released on their sixth album Physical Graffiti in 1975. The album credits list the four group members as the song's authors, despite the earlier released renditions by Johnson, White, and Dylan.[9] At a little over 11 minutes, it is the longest studio track by the group.[9]
For the recording, Jimmy Page uses an
Performances
Led Zeppelin performed "In My Time of Dying" during the 1975 and 1977
In 1993, when Page toured Japan with
Reception
In a retrospective review of Physical Graffiti (
See also
- List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs
- List of Led Zeppelin songs written or inspired by others
Footnotes
- QRS Recordsno. R7015
- ^ Paramount Records no. 12986-A
- ^ Banner Records no. 32859
References
- ^ Kennedy 1925, p. 115.
- ^ Kennedy 1924.
- ^ Odum & Johnson 1926, p. 197.
- ^ Watts, Isaac (1760). "Hymns and Spiritual Songs". XXXI Christ's Presence Makes Death Easy.
- ^ Charters 1993, pp. 3, 16–17.
- ^ Emmons 1932, p. 55.
- ^ Lomax & Lomax 2013.
- ^ Shadwick 2005, p. 227.
- ^ a b c d Case 2007, eBook.
- ^ Williams, Stacey (1962). Bob Dylan (Album notes). Bob Dylan. New York City: Columbia Records. p. 5. CK 8579.
- ^ Case 2011, eBook: "the scorching blues-rock of Led Zeppalin's cut, while clearly descended from Blind Willie Johnson ..."
- ^ Popoff 2018, p. 218: "[Together the parts of 'Carouselambra'] comprise more of an artsy prog rock track than a hard rock monster like 'Achilles' or 'In My Time of Dying.'
- ^ a b Lewis 1994.
- ^ "Fifty Artists Pick Their Personal Top 10s – Rick Rubin: Led Zeppelin". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010.
- ISBN 9780316418034. Retrieved May 1, 2019 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 9780330438599. Retrieved May 1, 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hadusek, Jon (February 19, 2015). "Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (Reissue)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ Richardson, Mark (February 24, 2015). "Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV/Houses of the Holy/Physical Graffiti Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
Bibliography
- Case, George (2007). Jimmy Page: Magus, Musician, Man – An Unauthorized Biography. New York City: ISBN 978-1-4234-0407-1.
- Case, George (2011). Led Zeppelin FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Greatest Hard Rock Band of All Time. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-1617130717.
- The Complete Blind Willie Johnson (CD booklet). Blind Willie Johnson. New York City: Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings. C2K 52835.
- Emmons, Martha (1932). "Tone the Bell Easy". Publications of the Texas Folklore Society. 10. J. Frank Dobie (ed.). Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- Kennedy, Robert Emmet (1924). Black Cameos. A. & C. Boni.
- Kennedy, Robert Emmet (1925). Mellows: A Chronicle of Unknown Singers. A. and C. Boni.
- Lewis, Dave (1994). Led Zeppelin: The Complete Guide to Their Music. London: ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ISBN 978-0486319926.
- Odum, Howard Washington; Johnson, Guy Benton (1926). Negro workaday songs. Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press.
- ISBN 978-0-760-36376-8.
- Shadwick, Keith (2005). Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music 1968–1980 (1st ed.). San Francisco: ISBN 0-87930-871-0.
