Dem Bones

Dem Bones — also called Dry Bones and Dem Dry Bones — is a well-known spiritual song. The melody was composed by African-American author and songwriter James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938). Both a long and a shortened version of the song are widely known. The lyrics are inspired by Ezekiel 37:1-14, where the Prophet visits the "Valley of Dry Bones" and prophesies that they will one day revive at God's command.

The song

by Delta Rhythm Boys

Ezekiel connected dem dry bones

Ezekiel connected dem dry bones

Ezekiel connected dem dry bones

Now hear the word of the Lord.

Your toe bone connected to your foot bone

Your foot bone connected to your heel bone

Your heel bone connected to your ankle bone

Your ankle bone connected to your leg bone

Your leg bone connected to your knee bone

Your knee bone connected to your thigh bone

Your thigh bone connected to your hip bone

Your hip bone connected to your back bone

Your back bone connected to your shoulder bone

Your shoulder bone connected to your neck bone

Your neck bone connected to your head bone

Now hear the word of the Lord.

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around

Now hear the word of the Lord.

Disconnect dem bones, dem dry bones

Disconnect dem bones, dem dry bones

Disconnect dem bones, dem dry bones

Now hear the word of the Lord.

Well your head bone connected from your neck bone

Your neck bone connected from your shoulder bone

Your shoulder bone connected from your back bone

Your back bone connected from your hip bone

Your hip bone connected from your thigh bone

Your thigh bone connected from your knee bone

Your knee bone connected from your leg bone

Your leg bone connected from your ankle bone

Your ankle bone connected from your heel bone

Your heel bone connected from your foot bone

Your foot bone connected from your toe bone

Now hear the word of the Lord.

Oh well dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones

Now hear the word of the Lord.

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones

Now hear the word of the Lord.

Artists

Over the years, the song has been played and recorded by many artists, including:

• The Delta Rhythm Boys
• Deep River Boys Featuring Harry Douglas with Pete Brown's Orchestra (Recorded in Oslo on August 23, 1956 and released on the 78 rpm record HMV AL 6019)
• Fats Waller
• The Four Lads, used as an integral part of "Fall Out," the final episode of British television series The Prisoner (1967-68). It is performed on screen in one scene and heard on a car radio in another.
• Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians (Recorded on 30 April 1947 and released on the 78 rpm record Decca 23948), used in the 1986 BBC television serial, The Singing Detective.
• The Lennon Sisters
• Mills Brothers
• Shirley Caesar
• Rosemary Clooney
• Alvin and the Chipmunks (in the 1999 direct-to-video film Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein)
• Fred Gwynne (In-character as Herman Munster in one episode of the television series The Munsters.)
• The Kingsmen
• The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
• The Wiggles
• Peter O'Toole sings the song in the 1972 film, The Ruling Class as a call-to-arms to the upper-classes to "bring back fear" by means of the breaking wheel.
• Die Campbells (No English-language article available. Afrikaans-language biography here: af:Die Campbells Comedy version, with parody lyrics sung in Afrikaans (available on YouTube).

A variation of this song has been sung by Das Efx. The song is called They Want Efx. It's most likely a reference to this song.

References in popular culture

• The Kinks used the chorus on the song "Skin and Bone" on their 1971 album Muswell Hillbillies.
• Bob Barner based a children's book of anatomy on this song.
• In the musical Li'l Abner, the political satire song "The Country is in The Very Best of Hands" contains a long passage which references this song, rewritten to be about politicians sitting around on their "thigh bones."
• The song "Dry Bones" was also featured as the second track on the Rain Man movie soundtrack.
• Schoolhouse Rock! has a version of "Dem Dry Bones", in order to teach children about the skeletal system.
• In a second season episode of The Munsters, entitled "Will Success Spoil Herman Munster?", Herman Munster was playing with Eddie Munster's friend's portable tape recorder by singing and playing back his own version of the song, which includes a mention of Herman's creator.
• The main chorus and a variation of the verses are featured in the song "Skeletons in the closet", by Kris McKay, used as the theme for the 7th Guest video game.
• The song appears twice in Evil Ed, first when Ed gets rid of the body of his boss and over the closing credits.
• In a fifth season episode of Married...with Children, Al Bundy is trying to recall the name of a song from his youth and to that end has the idea of naming "every song that was ever made until we get it." Al's first offer is "Mandy", Jefferson's is "Dem Bones".
• The Bone Song is sung by Guybrush's parents in Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge. The song is a variation of the popular spiritual song "Dem Bones". It is different every time the game is played.
• In Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode 904, as a scene featuring the bones of a werewolf in a science lab plays, one of the characters dryly comments "We've come to the conclusion: dem bones, dem dry bones, sir".
• In the Wacky Races short "Mish Mash Missouri Dash", Muttley sings a similar song about bolts while repairing the Mean Machine.
• In the song "They Want EFX" by Das EFX.
• In the video game League of Legends by Riot Games (The Champion Sion).

See also

• Ezekiel Saw the Wheel