Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

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"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is a United States spiritual folk song. The song today also has a large association with English rugby union and is also regularly sung at England national rugby union team matches.

Contents

[edit] History

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot was composed by Wallis Willis, a one-time slave for the Choctaw Indians in the old Indian Territory. He was inspired by the Red River which reminded him of the Jordan River and of the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven by a chariot. Some latter day sources[1] imply that this song and Steal Away Jesus—also composed by Willis—had some hidden lyrics referring to the Underground Railroad. That is unlikely, however, since neither song was heard outside the Choctaw Nation until after the Civil War. That is when Alexander Reid, a minister at a Choctaw boarding school heard Willis singing the songs and transcribed the words and melodies. He sent the music to the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jubilee Singers then popularized the songs during a tour of the United States and Europe.

[edit] Traditional Lyrics

Lyrics are as follows:

Chorus (in bold):

Swing low, sweet chariot
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
A band of angels coming after me
Coming for to carry me home

(Chorus)

If you get there before I do
Coming for to carry me home
Tell all my friends I'm coming too
Coming for to carry me home

(Chorus)

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

(Chorus)

[edit] Usage in rugby union

Coming into the last match of the 1988 season, against Ireland at Twickenham, England had lost 15 of their previous 23 matches in the 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. During the second half the floodgates opened and England scored a remarkable six tries in a thumping 35-3 win. Three of the tries came in quick succession from Chris Oti, a black player making his Twickenham debut. A group from the Benedictine school Douai started to sing a rugby club favourite – the gospel hymn Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – in honour of their new hero, the whole crowd joined in. In 2003 the England national rugby union team returned from the 2003 World Cup triumph in Australia on a plane dubbed 'Sweet Chariot'.

The song is still regularly sung at matches by supporters. There are also a series of gestures that accompany the song, one of which is sexual.

[edit] Gestures that sometimes accompany the song

Here is one version of the gestures for the chorus as done by rugby fans, Hash House Harriers and US air force fighter pilots:


Swing low: Hand clasped and fingers interlocked motion with arms
sweet: kiss fingers and blow kiss
chariot: snapping invisible reins and shaky voice as if riding in a chariot
Comin' : simulated male masturbation
for: hold up four fingers
to: hold up two fingers
carry: cradle arms as if carrying baby
me: point to self
home: make arc over head with arms


The gestures continue in a similar vein for the rest of the lyrics. These gestures are also used as a drinking game. The first person to incorrectly give the gestures for this song is required to buy the next round of drinks.

Swing Low is also the "Hash Hymn" and 'official' ending to many Hash House Harriers circles. The basic lyrics and gestures are the same as described here although there are many, many variations including: Scooby-Doo, Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, Christopher Reeve,silent, humming and harlots.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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