Founder Al Kooper conceived Blood, Sweat and Tears as an experiment in expanding the size and scope of the rock band with touches of jazz , blues , classical , and folk music. When Kooper was forced out of the band soon after its eclectic debut, Child Is Father to the Man, BS&T became increasingly identified as a "jazz-rock" group, although its music was essentially easy-listening rhythm and blues or rock with the addition of brass.
Kooper formed BS&T after leaving the Blues Project in 1967. The nucleus of the original band was Steve Katz, also of the Blues Project; Jim Fielder, who had played with the Mothers of Invention and Buffalo Springfield; and Bobby Colomby, who had drummed behind folksingers Odetta and Eric Andersen. The horn players were recruited from New York jazz and studio bands. Child Is Father featured songs by Harry Nilsson, Tim Buckley, Randy Newman, Gerry Goffin, and Carole King, along with Kooper originals and arrangements by Fred Lipsius for brass, strings, and studio effects. The band nearly broke up when Kooper, Randy Brecker, and Jerry Weiss left (Brecker to join The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra). Regrouping under Katz and Colomby, and fronted by David Clayton-Thomas (who had sung with a Canadian blues band, The Bossmen), BS&T entered a period of immense popularity. Blood, Sweat & Tears featured arrangements of music by French composer Erik Satie and jazz singer Billie Holiday, as well as by Laura Nyro, Steve Winwood, and others. It was the #1 album for seven weeks in 1969, sold over 3 million copies, and spawned three gold singles: “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel,” and “And When I Die,” each of which hit #2.
In 1970 the U.S. State Department sent the band on a goodwill tour of Yugoslavia, Romania, and Poland. Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 duplicated the Blood, Sweat & Tears mix of styles and was almost as popular. The album went to #1, and two singles, “Hi-De-Ho” and “Lucretia MacEvil,” hit the Top 30. But interest in the group began to wane, and 4, which contained almost all original material, barely made the Top 10. In 1971 “Go Down Gamblin’” was its last hit. By the time Clayton-Thomas left for a solo career in 1972, BS&T’s place on the charts had been filled by similarly styled bands such as Chicago, Chase, and Ides of March. Katz left the next year, first to join the short-lived American Flyer and then to an A&R position at Mercury Records.
BS&T became regulars in Las Vegas, with ever-changing personnel recruited largely from big bands like Maynard Ferguson’s, Woody Herman’s, and Doc Severinsen’s. Vocalist Jerry LaCroix appeared between his tenures with Edgar Winter’s White Trash and Rare Earth, while guitarist Mike Stern later played with Miles Davis’ early-’80s band. Clayton-Thomas’ return in 1974 briefly boosted BS&T’s popularity, but Columbia dropped the group, and Colomby, the last original member, left in 1976. He continued to influence BS&T as producer of Brand New Day and, with Clayton-Thomas, as co-owner of the band’s name and catalogue. He then moved on to a career in A&R for several labels, as well as TV reporting. Since 1975 the live act has been billed as Blood, Sweat and Tears Featuring David Clayton-Thomas. [from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bloodsweatandtears/biography
In late 2005, the band returned to touring. The year 2007 witnessed the band's first world tour in a decade. From 2008 through 2010, Steve Katz returned to appear at BS&T's shows as a special guest.
From 2013 till 2018, Blood Sweat and Tears was fronted by Bo Bice, who was the runner-up against Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol.
In 2018, the group decided to replace Bice with former Tower of Power singer Tom Bowes, who had previously done a brief stint with BS&T back in July through November 2012.
In 2019 Keith Paluso, from the reality TV show The Voice, was chosen as BS&T's new singer.
And When I Die
Blood Sweat & Tears Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't really care
If it's peace you find in dying
Well, then let the time be near
If it's peace you find in dying
And if dying time is near
Just bundle up my coffin cause
I hear that's it's cold way down there
Yeah, crazy cold way down there
And when I die and when I'm gone
There'll be one child born
In this world, carry on, to carry on
Now troubles are many
They're as deep as a well
I can swear there ain't no heaven
But I pray there ain't no hell
Swear there ain't no heaven
And I pray there ain't no hell
But I'll never know by living
Only by dying will tell
Yes, only by dying will tell, yeah
Only my dying will tell
And when I die and when I'm gone
There'll be one child born
In this world to carry on, to carry on
Give me my freedom for as long as I be
All I ask of the living is to have no chains on me
All I ask of living is to have no chains on me
And all I ask of dying is to go naturally
Only want to go naturally
Here I go, ah
Hey, hey
Here comes the devil, right behind
Look out children, here he come
Here he come
Hey
Don't want to go by the devil
Don't want to go by the demon
Don't want to go by Satan
Don't want to die uneasy
Just let me go naturally
And when I die and when I'm dead, dead and gone
There'll be one child born
In our world to carry on, to carry on, yeah, yeah
Blood Sweat & Tears's song And When I Die deals with the theme of death and the afterlife. The lyrics express the singer's acceptance of death and their belief that dying naturally is ideal. The lines "I'm not scared of dying, and I don't really care" reveal the singer's nonchalance towards death implying that they are comfortable with the concept. The chorus emphasizes the idea of continuity and renewal, with one child being born to "carry on" after the singer's passing.
The verses present the singer's thoughts on the afterlife. They express that they neither believe in heaven nor hell, but the reality of the afterlife can only be revealed after death, which is the only way to know the truth. The lines "Only by dying will tell, yes only by dying will tell, yeah, only my dying will tell," reflects the singer's perception that death is the ultimate truth.
The repeated line "Just let me go naturally" reveals the singer's desire to have a natural death, free from physical and spiritual restrictions. The phrase "here comes the devil" may signify an acceptance of the unknown aspects of death, but it could also be interpreted as a representation of the singer's fear of death, making the lyrics more nuanced.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not scared of dying
I am not afraid of the process of dying.
And I don't really care
I am indifferent to the idea of death.
If it's peace you find in dying
If dying brings inner peace,
Well, then let the time be near
then I am ready to let it come sooner rather than later.
Just bundle up my coffin cause
Wrap up my coffin appropriately because
It's cold way down there
it can be really cold down below when buried.
I hear that's it's cold way down there
I have heard that it can be freezing down in the ground.
And when I die and when I'm gone
At the time of my death
There'll be one child born
A new life will begin
In this world, carry on, to carry on
who will keep pursuing their own life goals.
Now troubles are many
There are plenty of difficulties in life.
They're as deep as a well
The troubles are as complex and difficult to navigate as the depths of a well.
I can swear there ain't no heaven
I strongly believe there is no paradise or ideal place to go after death.
But I pray there ain't no hell
I plead that there is no place of torment after death.
But I'll never know by living
I won't be able to confirm or deny it in life.
Only by dying will tell
Only death will provide an answer to this question.
Give me my freedom for as long as I be
All I wish for as long as I live is freedom.
All I ask of the living is to have no chains on me
I expect to have no restrictions on my freedom while I am still alive.
All I ask of dying is to go naturally
When I die, I only ask that it happens without interference or manipulation.
Here I go, ah
Here I am, about to leave.
Hey, hey
An exclamation to express excitement, anxiety, or impatience.
Here comes the devil, right behind
The figure of the devil is coming right after me.
Look out children, here he come
The coming of the devil is accompanied by a warning to be careful and alert.
Don't want to go by the devil
I don't want to depart life surrounded by evil forces.
Don't want to go by the demon
I don't want to leave this world in the company of demonic figures.
Don't want to go by Satan
I want to pass away without being associated with Satan or his domains.
Don't want to die uneasy
I desire for my demise to be painless and solaceful.
Just let me go naturally
Let me complete my cycle of life and death in a pure and natural manner.
And when I die and when I'm dead, dead and gone
And when I pass away, and I am no more in this world,
There'll be one child born
A new life will come into this world
In our world to carry on, to carry on, yeah, yeah
to continue embarking on their unique journey and make their own contributions.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Laura Nyro
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
木倉谷哲也
Lyrics:
I'm not scared of dying
And I, don't really care
If it's peace you find in dying
Well then, let the time be near
If it's peace you find in dying
Well then, dying time is near
Just bundle up my coffin
'Cause it's cold way down there
I hear that it's
Cold way down there, yeah
Crazy cold, way down there
And when I die, and when I'm gone
There'll be, one child born
In this world
To carry on, to carry on
Now troubles are many
They're as
Deep as a well
I can swear there ain't no Heaven
But I pray there ain't no hell
Swear there ain't no Heaven
And I'll pray there ain't no hell
But I'll never know by livin'
Only my dyin' will tell, yes, only my dyin' will tell, oh yeah
Only my dyin' will tell
And when I die, and when I'm gone
There'll be, one child born
In this world
To carry on, to carry on
Yeah, yeah
Give me my freedom
For as long as I be
All I ask of livin'
Is to have no chains on me
All I ask of livin'
Is to have no chains on me
And all I ask of dyin' is to
Go naturally, only wanna
Go naturally
Here I go!
Hey, hey
Here come the devil
Right behind
Look out, children
Here he come
Here he come, hey-yy
Don't wanna go by the devil
Don't wanna go by the demon
Don't wanna go by Satan
Don't wanna die uneasy
Just let me go
Naturally
And when I die, and when I'm dead
Dead and gone
There'll be
One child born, in our world
To carry on, to carry on
Yeah, yeah
Russ S
David Clayton Thomas is a very underrated vocalist...very powerful voice.
johnnie soesbee
Never thought he was underrated, seeing as how BST, was a musical powerhouse 🤔😒
K V
@johnnie soesbeeexactly, underrated comments are overrated.
Jerry Browne
Underated? When were you born?
Kenneth Sawyer
This song, deep down, lets me know every things going to be all right.
Perry Conrad
Yep
Sean Vincent
😂Yesss😂Sure'e😂
Ed T
Amen to that!!
kungfuman78
This song was played 50 years ago today (July 31) at the funeral of Bruce Lee. He was laid to rest that same day in Seattle, 1973. May he rest in peace...
Semper Fidelis
This is a legendary song!