Dese Bones G'wine Rise Again is an American Negro spiritual that tells the story of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
In this spiritual, a caller tells the story in rhymed couplets; each line of the couplet is followed by the final line of an abbreviated chorus sung in answer by the audience or congregation. Between each couplet, a complete chorus is sung. In the example below, the sung chorus is given in italics; the other words are the caller's lyrics:
De Lawd, He thought He’d make a man
Dese bones gwine rise again
Made ‘im outa mud an’ a han’ful o’ san
Dese bones gwine to rise again
(Chorus)
I knowed it Indeed I knowed it, brother
I knowed it Dese bones gwine to rise again
There are several variants of the lyrics; the dramatic and creative talents of the caller generate considerable variation. For one version of the lyrics, see the external link below.
Famous quotes containing the words bones and/or rise:
“I call it our collective inheritance of isolation. We inherit isolation in the bones of our lives. It is passed on to us as sure as the shape of our noses and the length of our legs. When we are young, we are taught to keep to ourselves for reasons we may not yet understand. As we grow up we become the “men who never cry” and the “women who never complain.” We become another generation of people expected not to bother others with our problems.”
—Paula C. Lowe (20th century)
“Creation destroys as it goes, throws down one tree for the rise of another. But ideal mankind would abolish death, multiply itself million upon million, rear up city upon city, save every parasite alive, until the accumulation of mere existence is swollen to a horror.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)