This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 142.151.130.122 (talk) at 07:20, 5 May 2006 (→Lyrics). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 07:20, 5 May 2006 by 142.151.130.122 (talk) (→Lyrics)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)"Spirit In The Sky" is a song that has been performed by three different artists, all of which reached number 1 in the UK: first with Norman Greenbaum in 1970 from the album of the same name; then by Doctor and the Medics in 1986; and most recently by The Kumars and Gareth Gates in 2003 for Comic Relief. It was also covered by German artist Nina Hagen and by Bauhaus. It also appears on the 2005 album Atom Bomb by the Blind Boys of Alabama.
Lyrics
The song contains lyrics about spirituality and the afterlife, making several tongue-in-cheek reference to Jesus and Christianity:
- Prepare yourself, you know it's a must
- Gotta have a friend named Jesus
- So you know that when you die
- He's gonna recommend you to the Spirit in the sky
However, elsewhere the lyrics appear superficially Christian but in fact depart significantly from mainstream Christian doctrine:
- Never been a sinner, I've never sinned
- I've got a friend in Jesus
The lyrics' ambiguous interpretation of Christian doctrine can be attributed to the fact that Norman Greenbaum was Jewish, not Christian; the song was never intended to proselytize for Christianity (or indeed for Judaism or any other religious group), but was a send-up of what he perceived as naïveté on the part of religious people in general.
Misc: Song is played during the final credits to "Miami Blues" staring Alec Baldwin.
 | This 1970s rock song–related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |