When the Saints Go Marching In

 

"When the Saints Go Marching In" is a traditional black spiritual song. It is sometimes called "The Saints." The song started as a Christian hymn. Now it is played a lot by jazz bands. One of the most famous jazz recordings of "The Saints" was made on May 13, 1938, by Louis Armstrong and his orchestra.

The song is sometimes confused with a similarly titled 1896 song: "When the Saints Are Marching In", by Katharine Purvis (lyrics) and James Milton Black (music).

Where it came from and how it is used

People are not sure how the song was first made. It may have started in the early 1900s. It may be based on some similar gospel songs, including "When the Saints Are Marching In" (1896) and "When the Saints March In for Crowning" (1908). The first known recorded version was in 1923 by the Paramount Jubilee Singers on Paramount 12073. The title given on the label is "When All the Saints Come Marching In." However, the group sings the modern lyrics beginning with "When the saints go marching in". No author is shown on the label. Several other gospel versions were recorded in the 1920s. They had slightly different song titles but had the same lyrics. These include versions by The Four Harmony Kings (1924), Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers (1924), Wheat Street Female Quartet (1925), Bo Weavil Jackson (1926), Deaconess Alexander (1926), Rev. E. D. Campbell (1927), Robert Hicks (AKA Barbecue Bob, 1927), Blind Willie Davis (1928), and the Pace Jubilee Singers (1928).

The earliest songs were slow and stately. As time passed, the recordings became more rhythmic. This included a distinctly up-tempo version by the Sanctified Singers on British Parlophone in 1931.

The song came from folk music which meant there was no known author. But a number of composers tried to copyright in it in later years, including Luther G. Presley and Virgil Oliver Stamps, R. E. Winsett. The song is particularly associated with the city of New Orleans. It has been recorded by many jazz and pop artists.

Lyrics

There is no one "official" version of the song or its lyrics. Sometimes even its title is different. It is sometimes called "When the Saints Come Marching In". The words of the song are very simple. This makes it easy to make new verses. The first and second lines of a verse are exactly the same within that verse. The third and four are the same throughout the song. This means making one suitable line in iambic tetrameter makes an entire verse.

It is impossible to list every version of the song, but a common standard version is:

Oh, when the saints go marching in
Oh, when the saints go marching in
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Oh, when the drums begin to bang
Oh, when the drums begin to bang
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Oh, when the stars fall from the sky
Oh, when the stars fall from the sky
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Oh, when the sun refuse to shine
Oh, when the sun refuse to shine
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Oh, when the moon turns red with blood
Oh, when the moon turns red with blood
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call
Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Oh, when the horsemen begin to ride
Oh, when the horsemen begin to ride
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Oh, brother Charles you are my friend
Oh, brother Charles you are my friend
Yea, you gonna be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Oh, when the saints go marching in
Oh, when the saints go marching in
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Often the first two words of the third line ("Lord, how I want...") are sung as either "Oh how", "Oh, Lord" or even "Lord, Lord."

The way it is played can change a lot. The simplest is just repeating the chorus. Verses may be switched with choruses. They could be put in the third of four repetitions to create an AABA form with the verse as the bridge.

Some traditional ways it is played often have a lot of people singing rather than one person. It is also common as an audience sing-along song. Versions using call and response are often heard, e.g.:

• Call: Oh when the Saints
• Response: Oh when the Saints!

Other websites

• "When the Saints Go Marching In" Archived November 21, 2016, at the Wayback Machine – Louis Armstrong's version
• Hymns Without Words Archived January 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine – free MP3 for download and use in services