When The Saints Go Marching In (song)

"When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as "The Saints", is an American gospel hymn that has taken on certain aspects of folk music. The precise origins of the song are not known. Though it originated as a Christian hymn, today people are more likely to hear it played by a jazz band. The song is sometimes confused with a similarly titled composition "When the Saints are Marching In" from 1896 by Katharine Purvis (lyrics) and James Milton Black (music).

Uses
A traditional use of the song is as a funeral march. In the funeral music tradition of New Orleans, Louisiana, often called the "jazz funeral", while accompanying the coffin to the cemetery, a band would play the tune as a dirge. On the way back from the interment, it would switch to the familiar upbeat "hot" or "Dixieland" style.

While the tune is still heard as a slow spiritual number on rare occasions, from the mid 20th century it has been more commonly performed as a "hot" number. The number remains particularly associated with the city of New Orleans, to the extent that it is associated with New Orleans' professional football team, the New Orleans Saints.

Both vocal and instrumental renditions of the song abound. Louis Armstrong was one of the first to make the tune into a nationally known pop-tune in the 1930s. Armstrong wrote that his sister told him she thought the secular performance style of the traditional church tune was inappropriate and irreligious. Armstrong was in a New Orleans tradition of turning church numbers into brass band and dance numbers that went back at least to Buddy Bolden's band at the very start of the 20th century.

The tune was brought into the early rock and roll repertory by Fats Domino and (as "The Saint's Rock and Roll") by Bill Haley & His Comets. Haley's version eschews the traditional lyrics in favor of verses that introduce the members of his band (who then perform instrumental breaks).

A jazz standard, it has been recorded by a great many other jazz and pop artists.

It is nicknamed "The Monster" by some jazz musicians, as it seems to be the only tune some people know to request when seeing a Dixieland band, and some musicians dread being asked to play it several times a night. The musicians at Preservation Hall in New Orleans got so tired of playing it that the sign announcing the fee schedule ran $1 for standard requests, $2 for unusual requests, and $5 for "The Saints". (This was in early 1960s dollars. By 2012 the price had gone up to $20.)

This tune and often the words are often used as a popular theme or rallying song for a number of sports teams (see When The Saints Go Marching In in sport). It is the main anthem of Southampton F.C., St Patrick's Athletic, St Kilda Football Club, St George Illawarra Dragons, Northampton Saints, Christies Beach Football Club, St Johnstone Football Club and the St Helens RLFC

The Rhodesian Light Infantry, also known as "The Saints", used it as their regimental march.

In the Southern gospel genre the song is often associated with Luther G. Presley, who wrote the lyrics, and Virgil Oliver Stamps, who wrote the music, whose version copyrighted by the Stamps-Baxter Music Company popularized it as a gospel song. A similar version was copyrighted by R.E. Winsett.

The song is played after every home goal scored by the St. Louis Blues.

Lyrics
As with many numbers with long traditional folk use, there is no one "official" version of the song or its lyrics. This extends so far as confusion as to its name, with it often being mistakenly called "When the Saints Come Marching In". As for the lyrics themselves, their very simplicity makes it easy to generate new verses. Since the first, second, and fourth lines of a verse are exactly the same, and the third standard throughout, the creation of one suitable line in iambic tetrameter generates an entire verse.

It is impossible to list every version of the song, but a common standard version runs:


 * Oh, when the saints go marching in
 * Oh, when the saints go marching in
 * I want to be in that number
 * When the saints go marching in


 * Oh, when the drums begin to bang
 * Oh, when the drums begin to bang
 * I want to be in that number
 * When the saints go marching in


 * Oh, when the stars fall from the sky
 * Oh, when the stars fall from the sky
 * I want to be in that number
 * When the saints go marching in


 * Oh, when the moon turns red with blood
 * Oh, when the moon turns red with blood
 * I want to be in that number
 * When the saints go marching in


 * Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call
 * Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call
 * I want to be in that number
 * When the saints go marching in


 * Oh, when the fire begins to balze
 * Oh, when the fire begins to blaze
 * I want to be in that number
 * When the saints go marching in


 * Oh, when the saints go marching in
 * Oh, when the saints go marching in
 * I want to be in that number
 * When the saints go marching in

Often the first two words of the common third verse line ("Lord, how") are sung as either "Oh, Lord" or even "Lord, Lord."

Arrangements vary considerably. The simplest is just an endless repetition of the chorus. Verses may be alternated with choruses, or put in the third of 4 repetitions to create an AABA form with the verse as the bridge.

One common verse in "hot" New Orleans versions runs (with considerable variation) like thus:


 * I used to have a playmate
 * Who would walk and talk with me
 * But since she got religion
 * She has turned her back on me.

Some traditional arrangements often have ensemble rather than individual vocals. It is also common as an audience sing-along number. Versions using call and response are often heard, e.g.:


 * Call: Oh when the Saints
 * Response: Oh when the Saints!

Analysis of the traditional lyrics
The song is apocalyptic, taking much of its imagery from the Book of Revelation, but excluding its more horrific depictions of the Last Judgment. The verses about the Sun and Moon refer to Solar and Lunar eclipses; the trumpet (of the Archangel Gabriel) is the way in which the Last Judgment is announced. The phrase "I want to be in that number" refers to the specific number of "144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth", given as prophecy in Revelations. The Bible speaks of these people as being "sealed" as "servants of God", without specifically calling them saints. As the hymn expresses the wish to go to Heaven, picturing the saints going in (through the Pearly Gates), it is entirely appropriate for funerals.

Artists who have performed and recorded the song
This is not a comprehensive list, but includes some notable versions.

As gospel hymn
Recorded by bluesman Sleepy John Estes accompanied by second guitar and kazoo for Bluebird Records in Chicago, 1941

This song is available in the Elvis Presley compilation "Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings." Sony BMG/Elvis Music

With traditional lyrics
As mentioned in the article on the song itself, in the 1930s, Louis Armstrong helped make The Saints into a jazz standard.

The tune was brought into the early rock and roll repertory by Fats Domino as one of the traditional New Orleans numbers he often played to rock audiences. Domino would usually use "The Saints" as his grand finale number, sometimes with his horn players leaving the stage to parade through the theater aisles or around the dance floor.

Judy Garland sang it in her own pop style.

Elvis Presley performed the song during the Million Dollar Quartet jam session and also recorded a version for his film, Frankie and Johnny.

Other early rock artists to follow Domino's lead included Jerry Lee Lewis and Tony Sheridan (featuring then-unknown band The Beatles as a backing group).

Tears For Fears performed the song and on the Live from Santa Barbara CD.

Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour includes the song as an encore for some shows.

Dolly Parton has also included the song in a gospel medley, as has Trini Lopez in a mixed gospel/folk medley (Trini Lopez at PJ's)

Actor Hal Linden performed the song with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem during his guest appearance on The Muppet Show.

With non-traditional lyrics
Louis Armstrong and Danny Kaye performed a comedy duet version in the 1959 film The Five Pennies, naming composers and musicians who would play "on the day that the saints go marching in".

Woody Guthrie sang a song called "When The Yanks Go Marching In" in 1943.

In 1983, Aaron Neville, along with New Orleans musicians Sal and Steve Monistere and Carlo Nuccio and a group of players for the New Orleans Saints American football team) recorded a popular version of the song incorporating the team's "Who Dat?" chant.

French group Dionysos's album La Mécanique du cœur (2007, The Mechanic of the Heart) contains a version of this song, in collaboration with the French singer Arthur H.

Many supporters of association football teams sing versions of the song, "Saints" is often replaced with the name or nickname of the club, for example, "When the Saints Go Marching In" (Southampton FC), "When the Reds Go Marching In", "When the Spurs Go Marching In" (Tottenham Hotspur) or "When the Stripes Go Marching In", as a rally song during football matches. The St Kilda Football Club, an Australian rules football Club use a variation as their theme song. The main variation being in the chorus 'oh how I want to be in St Kilda'.

With no lyrics
The rhythm of "When the Saints Go Marching In" was adapted by Dick Powell's Four Star Television for its legal drama, The Law and Mr. Jones starring James Whitmore, which ran on ABC from 1960-1962.

Big Chief Jazzband recorded the tune in Oslo on May 10, 1953. It was released on the 78 rpm record His Master's Voice A.L. 3307.

Al Hirt released a version on his 1963 album, Our Man in New Orleans and was also featured on his greatest hits album, The Best of Al Hirt.

It was recorded under the title of 'Revival' by Johnny and the Hurricanes. The band's management claimed authorship.

A portion of the song was also used in the "boss" music of the "Out of This Dimension" Easter egg stage in the game Star Fox for the SNES.

A techno remix of this song, titled "Saints Go Marching," is a playable song in some versions of Dance Dance Revolution.

The song has been used as a fight song for many schools, including Providence College and Saint Joseph's University. The Baylor University Golden Wave Marching band plays the song during Baylor football games right after a touchdown is scored. The song is also the inspiration for the nickname of the New Orleans Saints.

The musical Urinetown includes a parody homage of "Saints" entitled "Run, Freedom Run," as its protest theme.

An arrangement of "When the Saints Go Marching In" is also the official march of the Royal Hälsinge Air Force Wing (F 15 Söderhamn) in Sweden.

Popular culture
The children's television show Barney & Friends has a song called "Walk Across the Street" sung to this tune.