Lynn was born in Butcher Hollow, Van Lear, Kentucky in 1932. According to Songfacts, Loretta Lynn's superstar Country career started in 1960 when she recorded " I'm a Honky Tonk Girl " as her debut single. The song was a minor hit, climbing to #14 on Billboard's C&W Chart. By the late 1960s she had begun picking up various Female Vocalist of the Year trophies and in 1972 the singer became the first woman in history to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year trophy. Lynn dominated the Country charts throughout the rest of the decade and has continued to record hit records through the ensuing years. Her 50th anniversary year began with the award of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement on January 31, 2010.
Lynn released over 70 albums. She is the sister of country singer Crystal Gayle (born in Paintsville, Kentucky) and Peggy Sue, and is a cousin of Patty Loveless. Her father was a coal miner in Van Lear. Her biography was made into the 1980 film, Coal Miner's Daughter.
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Loretta Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comin' for to carry me home
A band of angels comin' after me
Comin' for to carry me home.
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
If you get there before I do
Comin' for to carry me home
Tell all of my friends I'm comin' too
Comin' for to carry me home.
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home.
I remember well my brightest day
Comin' for to carry me home
When Jesus washed my sins away
Comin' for to carry me home.
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home.
I'm sometimes up and I'm sometimes down
Comin' for to carry me home
But still my soul feels heavenly bound
Comin' for to carry me home.
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home
In Loretta Lynn's song "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," the singer reflects on life beyond death and the hope of being carried home by a band of angels. The first verse opens with the singer looking over Jordan, which could symbolize crossing the Jordan River into the afterlife. The singer sees a band of angels coming to carry them home, the home being the eternal home of heaven. The repetition of the phrase "comin' for to carry me home" emphasizes the singer's desire to be delivered to heaven when it is their time.
The second verse speaks to the idea of community and the singer's desire for their friends to be informed if they pass before them. The words "Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot" are repeated throughout the song, suggesting perhaps a familiar hymn or chant that has been passed down over time. The third verse reminisces about the moment the singer's sins were washed away by Jesus, a moment of spiritual rebirth and redemption. The final verse acknowledges that life has its ups and downs, but the singer's soul remains firmly set on the hope of heaven, and the band of angels that will come to carry them home.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked over Jordan and what did I see
As I gazed over Jordan, I witnessed a vision
Comin' for to carry me home
That was about to bring me back to my heavenly abode
A band of angels comin' after me
This band of celestial beings had come to take me along
If you get there before I do
If by chance, you get there before I do
Tell all of my friends I'm comin' too
Inform all of my companions that I will be there with them
I remember well my brightest day
I have a vivid recollection of that blessed day
When Jesus washed my sins away
The day that my sins were absolved by Jesus Himself
I'm sometimes up and I'm sometimes down
At times, life can be easy, and at others, it can be tough
But still my soul feels heavenly bound
However, I feel confident of my afterlife being in heaven
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
O sweet chariot! Come and take me away
Comin' for to carry me home
God's angels have arrived to take me to my eternal home
Swing low, swing low, sweet chariot
O sweet chariot! Come and take me away
Comin' for to carry me home
God's angels have arrived to take me to my eternal home
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, WOLFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mc Hobbit
In a way I love this song and her version of it but in a way I don't because I do not want Miss Loretta to go home for a very long time.
Chris
Rest in Peace our Sister of breakthrough amen
Sheila Langley
Lost a Beautiful Soul yesterday..R.I.P. Loretty..ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ’”💔💔
Janice Langley
RIP MRS.LORETTA 😥💔🌹