Fixin' To Die Blues

Fixin’ to Die is a blues song written by Mississippi bluesman Booker T. Washington White, generally known as Bukka White. Initially released on Okeh Records, catalogue OK 05588, it is unique amongst blues “dying” songs in that its main focus of concern is how death affects the surviving family, as opposed to the more typical blues opinion that death is the natural consequence of a life lived hard and to the full. It was reissued on album in 1959 as a track on The Country Blues. Booker White actually wrote the song in a studio just prior to recording at the request of the record executives, as they were not impressed with White's other material.

Bob Dylan recorded a version that appeared on his debut album in 1962. The melody line is significantly different from White’s, and Dylan modified some of White’s lyrics and even added entire verses of his own. It has been noted that Dylan was influenced by Dave Van Ronk's version of the song, given Van Ronk's claim that Dylan used his version of "House of the Rising Sun" which also appears on Dylan’s first album.

In 1976 the British bluesrock-band "Stretch" published a coverversion of the song (released on their album 'You Can't Beat Your Brain For Entertainment'), which came to certain fame.

In 2002, Robert Plant released a version of the song under the title "Funny In My Mind (I Believe I’m Fixin’ To Die)" on his album Dreamland, to which he added an additional chorus. Led Zeppelin would sometimes play the song live during medley performances of "Whole Lotta Love," as documented on Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions. In 2007, Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music recorded a live version for the album Los Feliz. In 2010, G. Love and The Avett Brothers recorded the song under the title "Fixin' To Die" for G. Love's twelfth studio album, "Fixin' To Die" on Brushfire Records.