Led Zeppelin: In My Time of Dying

Led Zeppelin performs "In My Time of Dying", Earls Court, 5/24, 1975:


"In My Time of Dying" is a blues song that has been covered by several rock musicians since the early 1960s. The original recording was a traditional gospel song recorded by Blind Willie Johnson, the title was "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed". Bob Dylan also did a rendition of the song (along with several other songs referring to the subject of death) on his 1962 debut album. Led Zeppelin’s "In My Time of Dying" is the longest studio track on any of Led Zeppelin's albums and closes Side 1 of the original double-LP edition of Physical Graffiti, the studio versoion lasts for 11:08 on the LP edition. Jimmy Page's guitar tuning for this song is an open A chord. This was also one of the few instances where Page played slide guitar, and was also one of the few live songs where he switched to his black and white Danelectro guitar. He also used this guitar for "White Summer" and "Kashmir” primarily because those songs required special tunnings. "In My Time of Dying" was played during Led Zeppelin's 1975 and some of their 1977 concert tours. One of the live versions can be seen on Led Zeppelin's performance at Earls Court on May 24 1975, featured on disc 2 of the Led Zeppelin DVD. The band never had a rehearsed ending for the song, because of its improvisational nature, and Page liked this approach, making the band sound like "a working group". The studio version ends with: "I'm going to make it my dyin', dyin', dyin'..." and at this point a member of the band or recording crew (possibly John Bonham) can be heard coughing. Plant humorously adds "cough" as a final word for the song. Bonham can be heard exclaiming, "That's gonna be the one, isn't it?", referring to that particular take. A recording engineer then says through the talk-back mic "Come have a listen, then." Bonham then closes his hi-hat and says rather sheepishly "Oh, yes. Thank you."

A version of "In My Time of Dying" performed by Page and The Black Crowes can be found on the album Live at the Greek.


Here is a video of Page performing In My Time of Dying on his tour with The Black Crowes in 1999:


In My Time of Dying was part of the set list at Led Zeppelin's reunion show at the O2 Arena, London on December 10, 2007:




Lyrics to In My Time of Dying:
In my time of dyin', want nobody to moan
All I want them to do is take my body home

*Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Well, well, well, so I can die easy

Jesus, got to make you, shiver
Jesus, gonna make you
Jesus, gonna make you my dyin' bed

Meet me, Jesus, meet me
Ooh, meet me in the middle of the air
If my wings should fail me. lord
Oh, please meet me with another pair

(* Repeat)

Jesus, gonna make you, somebody, somebody
Oh, Jesus, gonna make you
Jesus gonna make you my dyin' bed

Oh, Saint Peter, I can make amends
Won't you let me in
I never did no wrong, I never did no wrong
Oh, oh Gabriel, let me blow your horn
Let me blow your horn
I never did no wrong, did no wrong
I only can be young once
I never thought I'd do anybody no wrong
No not once

Oh, I did somebody so good
Somebody some good, yeah
Oh, did somebody some good, yeah
I must have did somebody some good, yeah
Oh, I believe I did, I seen the smilin' faces
I know I must have left some traces

And I seen them in the streets
And I seen them in the theater
And I even felt my feet
And I never tried to be real
Oh, lord, deliver me all the wrongs I've done
Oh, you can deliver me, lord
I only wanted to have some fun

Oh, keep the angels marchin', marchin'
Keep them marchin', keep them marchin', marchin'
Oh, my Jesus (Repeat)
That's got to be my Jesus
It's got to be, it's got to be my Jesus
It's got to be, oh it's got to be my Jesus
Oh, gonna take me home
Come on, come on
I can hear the angels singin', oh
Here they come, here they come, here they come
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Oh, it's pretty good up here, pretty good up here
I'll touch Jesus (Repeat)
Oh, oh yeah, I seen him, yeah, come on
Oh, don't you make it my dyin', dyin', dyin', cough

(That's gonna be the one, isn’t it. Come have a listen then.)
(Oh yes, thank you.)

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