Angel Band (song)
American gospel song about dying and being borne to heaven.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
"Angel Band" is an American gospel song about a dying person who asks an angel to carry them to an eternal home on "snow white wings." The lyrics began as a poem in common metre titled "My Latest Sun Is Sinking Fast," written by Jefferson Hascall (sometimes spelled Haskell). The poem first appeared set to music in J. W. Dadmun's 1860 tunebook *The Melodeon*, using a tune by Dadmun. Because the words are in common metre, they can fit many hymn tunes, but the melody now most often used was composed by William Batchelder Bradbury and published in his 1862 collection *Golden Shower of S.S. Melodies* under the title "The Land of Beulah." The song gained wide popularity in the 19th century, circulating both in folk traditions and in published songbooks such as William Walker's *Christian Harmony* (1866). Many artists have recorded it, notably the Stanley Brothers, Emmylou Harris, and the Monkees. In 1994, Robert Crumb created a comic strip showing an elderly cartoonist (drawn as himself) being carried to the afterlife by a female angel, with the refrain from "Angel Band" playing. The Stanley Brothers' version appears as the end credits song on the *O Brother, Where Art Thou?* soundtrack album (2000).
- type
- song
- genre
- American gospel music
- lyricist
- Jefferson Hascall (sometimes found as Haskell in hymnals)
- original_title
- My Latest Sun Is Sinking Fast
- first_published
- 1860 in J. W. Dadmun's tunebook The Melodeon
- associated_tune_composer
- William Batchelder Bradbury
- tune_original_title
- The Land of Beulah
Lore & Background
The lyrics, a poem in common metre, were originally titled "My Latest Sun Is Sinking Fast" and written by Jefferson Hascall. They were first set to music in J. W. Dadmun's tunebook The Melodeon in 1860, using a tune by Dadmun. Because the words are in common metre, they could be sung to many hymn tunes, but the tune now universally associated with them is by William Batchelder Bradbury, published in Bradbury's Golden Shower of S.S. Melodies in 1862 under the title "The Land of Beulah."
"Angel Band" became widely known in the 19th century, both in folk traditions and in published form, such as William Walker's Christian Harmony of 1866. It has been recorded by many artists, probably most famously by the Stanley Brothers, Emmylou Harris, and by the Monkees. In 1994, Robert Crumb drew a comic in which an old age cartoonist (portrayed by himself) is carried away by a female angel to the afterlife, accompanied by the refrain from "Angel Band."
Reader's Guide
"Angel Band" holds significance as a durable American gospel song that has crossed from 19th-century hymnody into folk and popular culture. Its lyrics, written by Jefferson Hascall, reflect a dying person's plea for an angel to carry them to an immortal home. The song's association with William Batchelder Bradbury's tune, originally titled "The Land of Beulah," became the standard version. Its wide dissemination through shape-note tunebooks like William Walker's Christian Harmony (1866) helped embed it in American folk tradition. In the 20th and 21st centuries, recordings by the Stanley Brothers, Emmylou Harris, and the Monkees brought it to new audiences. The inclusion of the Stanley Brothers version on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack album (2000) as the end credits song further cemented its cultural reach. Robert Crumb's 1994 comic also references the song, showing its continued resonance in visual art. The song's legacy lies in its ability to evoke themes of death and heavenly transport across diverse media and generations.
Did You Know?
- The lyrics were originally titled "My Latest Sun Is Sinking Fast" and written by Jefferson Hascall.
- The tune now universally associated with the song was composed by William Batchelder Bradbury and published in 1862 as "The Land of Beulah."
- The Stanley Brothers version of "Angel Band" is included on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack album (2000) as the end credits song.
- In 1994, Robert Crumb drew a comic featuring an old age cartoonist carried away by a female angel to the afterlife, accompanied by the refrain from "Angel Band."
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Angel Band (song)?
Angel Band is an American gospel hymn that depicts a dying person pleading with an angel to carry them to their eternal home on snow-white wings. It is one of the most recognizable deathbed songs in the Protestant hymn tradition.
Who wrote the lyrics to Angel Band?
The words were penned by Jefferson Hascall, though some hymnals spell his surname Haskell. He originally composed them as a common-metre poem under the title 'My Latest Sun Is Sinking Fast.'
When and where was Angel Band first published?
The lyrics first appeared in print in 1860, set to a tune by J. W. Dadmun, in his tunebook called The Melodeon. That initial publication paired Hascall's poem with Dadmun's melody rather than the one most singers know today.
Who composed the melody most commonly sung with Angel Band?
William Batchelder Bradbury wrote the tune that became the standard setting for the hymn. He published it in his 1862 collection Golden Shower of S.S. Melodies, and that melody has since displaced Dadmun's original in most hymnals.
What is the narrative or theme of Angel Band?
The song follows a person at the point of death who calls out to an angel, asking to be lifted to a heavenly home. The central image is of the angel's snow-white wings bearing the dying soul away from earth.
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