Dem Bones
Dem Bones, Dry Bones or Dem Dry Bones is a well-known traditional spiritual song, often used to teach basic anatomy to children (although its description is far from anatomically correct). The melody was written by James Weldon Johnson. Two versions of this traditional song are widely used, the second an abridgement of the first. The lyrics are based on Ezekiel 37:1-14, where the prophet visits the Valley of Dry Bones[1] and brings them to life under God's command.
The chorus of the song is often used to teach children about skeletons:
- Toe bone connected to the foot bone
- Foot bone connected to the leg bone
- Leg bone connected to the knee bone...
Over the years, the song has been covered by The Delta Rhythm Boys, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Shirley Caesar, Rosemary Clooney, and many other artists.
References in popular culture
- 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.
- Dem Bones is an integral part of "Fall Out", the final episode of British cult show The Prisoner. It is performed on screen in one scene and heard on a car radio in another. This version is performed by The Four Lads.
- In one episode of Scooby-Doo, Shaggy prepares a sandwich while singing "And the ham slice connected to the rye bread, lettuce connected to the boiled egg, mustard slapped on a salami slice, and the cheese is connected to the devilled ham..." in the style of Dem Bones.
- In The Simpsons episode, "Homer's Triple Bypass," Dr. Nick Riviera, stumped in the middle of the operation, sings the song in an effort to refresh his memory (although he bungles the lyrics and ends up singing "the red thing's connected to my wristwatch").
- Bob Barner based a children's book of anatomy on this song.[2]
- In a second-season episode of NCIS, Ducky sings a short verse during an autopsy to highlight his point about the hyoid bone, the only bone in the human body that is not connected to any other.
- In a third-season episode of Babylon 5, a bad guy sings the song after explaining how he once killed a Minbari by cutting him into pieces.
- In the LucasArts adventure game Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, the song is performed in a bizarre dream sequence by Guybrush Threepwood's parents in skeleton form. The lyrics prove to be integral to navigating LeChuck's fortress later in the game.
- Craig Ferguson often notes that the FOX TV series Bones starring David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel would be more popular if it used "Dem Bones" as a recurring theme tune throughout the show.[3][4]
See also
- Ezekiel Saw the Wheel, a paraphrase of Ezekiel 1:15-21
References
- ^ "Dry Bones, Valley of," in Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature, David L. Jeffery, editor. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, November 1, 1992, pages 216-217, ISBN 0-8028-3634-8
- ^ "Bob Barner" Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2005. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2005. retrieved 5 December 2005
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=search_videos&search_query=boreanaz+craig+ferguson&search_sort=relevance&search_category=0&page=
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=emily+deschanel+craig+ferguson&aq=f