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Blood, Sweat & Tears — And When I Die
Album: Greatest Hits
Avg rating:
6.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 620









Released: 1972
Length: 3:24
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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 natrually, only wanna
Go naturally
Here I go!
Hey hey
Here come the devil
Right behind
Look out children, here he come
Here he come, heyyy

Don't wanna go by the devil
Don't wanna go by the demon
Don't wanna go by satan
Don't wann 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
Comments (63)add comment
One of my first, and all-time favorite, albums. Laura Nyro wrote this one.
 Beanie wrote:

This song is so steeped in memories for me.  My parents had this album and it was in heavy rotation at our house.  I hear this song and I can picture my dad, with his long sideburns and cut-off jeans, playing frisbee in the front yard with my Uncle Keith, while my sister and I caught grasshoppers and hung out in the plastic swimming pool and ate popsicles.  Or playing hotwheels in the living room on a Saturday afternoon in the winter, taking breaks when we heard the furnace click on to sit in front of the register vent with a blanket stretched across our laps and tucked under our legs, ballooning up as the air came out of the vent, then running back out (now with warm feet) to keep playing when it shut back off.  The records were stacked on the turntable right after breakfast and would play through until lunch, as my dad went about the business of being a dad on a Saturday morning.  The click of the changer, the whoosh of one vinyl album coming to rest upon the one spinning below it, then the crackle as the needle seated itself in the groove just before the music began to play.  For some reason, there was always the background scent of wet wallpaper — my parents were always either stripping wallpaper off or putting new wallpaper back on. 

All that, just from hearing this song.



What an evocative description. Thanks!
 justlistening wrote:

Interesting history of BS&T on AMG. It's worth a read to see how they disenfranchised themselves from their fan base by alignining themselves with the "establishment".



True.
 Aud wrote:

William, Where is the long version?



IIRC correctly, this song didn't have a long, extended instrumental break as many BS&T numbers did, at least on the studio version.
 Beanie wrote:

This song is so steeped in memories for me.  My parents had this album and it was in heavy rotation at our house.  I hear this song and I can picture my dad, with his long sideburns and cut-off jeans, playing frisbee in the front yard with my Uncle Keith, while my sister and I caught grasshoppers and hung out in the plastic swimming pool and ate popsicles.  Or playing hotwheels in the living room on a Saturday afternoon in the winter, taking breaks when we heard the furnace click on to sit in front of the register vent with a blanket stretched across our laps and tucked under our legs, ballooning up as the air came out of the vent, then running back out (now with warm feet) to keep playing when it shut back off.  The records were stacked on the turntable right after breakfast and would play through until lunch, as my dad went about the business of being a dad on a Saturday morning.  The click of the changer, the whoosh of one vinyl album coming to rest upon the one spinning below it, then the crackle as the needle seated itself in the groove just before the music began to play.  For some reason, there was always the background scent of wet wallpaper — my parents were always either stripping wallpaper off or putting new wallpaper back on. 

All that, just from hearing this song.



Wonderful reminiscence! Thank you!
The older I get the more this song resonates with me.  How's'bout you?  😉
Certainley one of my 'most listened to'  LPs of late 1960's and through the 1970's. And still stands up!
Having intense 1968 flashbacks with this song. No, not that kind. I was 12 when this album came out. I loved it so much.
 mrselfdestruct wrote:

This song is a mess.


It would certainly be a challenge to dance to it.
the man with that (imo) wonderful voice is David Clayton-Thomas
William, Where is the long version?
 mrselfdestruct wrote:
This song is a mess.
 
Not quite. The problem may be with your inability to comprehend musical complexity. Stick to "Yakkity-Yak"...nice and simple for you.

The Best Rock Audiophile Recording of the 1960's
This song is a mess.
 Cannon wrote:
Grammarcop wrote:
I have always hated this song.

I have always hated loving this song.

 
I have sometimes been ambivalent about liking this song.
When I was 8 my 17-year old sister said something about going to a concert by a group called Blood Seat & Tears.  The word "blood" made me think this must be a pretty hard core band.  When she went on to say that their hit song was "When I die" I was convinced these guys must be akin to Black Sabbath (also new at the time) which seemed a little dark for my sister, but maybe not..  I didn't hear the song till later whereupon I learned you can't judge a band by its name, or a song by its title.
 Grammarcop wrote:
I have always hated this song.

 
I have always hated loving this song.
This offends my scientific sensibilities. One child born to carry on? Not the way it works.
One of the very few times I hit PSD.  
 lily33 wrote:
more of BS&T is always welcome!
 
Definitely. This was / is a classic album
Sort of stands the test of time.
 Grammarcop wrote:
I have always hated this song.

 
yep, just about the lamest thing out there
parts of it sound like a soundtrack from a John Wayne movie 
I have always hated this song.
 Beanie wrote:
This song is so steeped in memories for me.  My parents had this album and it was in heavy rotation at our house.  I hear this song and I can picture my dad, with his long sideburns and cut-off jeans, playing frisbee in the front yard with my Uncle Keith, while my sister and I caught grasshoppers and hung out in the plastic swimming pool and ate popsicles.  Or playing hotwheels in the living room on a Saturday afternoon in the winter, taking breaks when we heard the furnace click on to sit in front of the register vent with a blanket stretched across our laps and tucked under our legs, ballooning up as the air came out of the vent, then running back out (now with warm feet) to keep playing when it shut back off.  The records were stacked on the turntable right after breakfast and would play through until lunch, as my dad went about the business of being a dad on a Saturday morning.  The click of the changer, the whoosh of one vinyl album coming to rest upon the one spinning below it, then the crackle as the needle seated itself in the groove just before the music began to play.  For some reason, there was always the background scent of wet wallpaper — my parents were always either stripping wallpaper off or putting new wallpaper back on. 

All that, just from hearing this song.

 
That's a beautiful set of memories. You just checked off a very similar list of mine, except with music from my Dad's collection of vinyl.  :-)
Now there's a matched pair, nicely done Bill. 
{#Motor}
 Beanie wrote:
This song is so steeped in memories for me.  My parents had this album and it was in heavy rotation at our house.  I hear this song and I can picture my dad, with his long sideburns and cut-off jeans, playing frisbee in the front yard with my Uncle Keith, while my sister and I caught grasshoppers and hung out in the plastic swimming pool and ate popsicles.  Or playing hotwheels in the living room on a Saturday afternoon in the winter, taking breaks when we heard the furnace click on to sit in front of the register vent with a blanket stretched across our laps and tucked under our legs, ballooning up as the air came out of the vent, then running back out (now with warm feet) to keep playing when it shut back off.  The records were stacked on the turntable right after breakfast and would play through until lunch, as my dad went about the business of being a dad on a Saturday morning.  The click of the changer, the whoosh of one vinyl album coming to rest upon the one spinning below it, then the crackle as the needle seated itself in the groove just before the music began to play.  For some reason, there was always the background scent of wet wallpaper — my parents were always either stripping wallpaper off or putting new wallpaper back on. 

All that, just from hearing this song.

 
Thanks for sharing, Beanie!
This song is so steeped in memories for me.  My parents had this album and it was in heavy rotation at our house.  I hear this song and I can picture my dad, with his long sideburns and cut-off jeans, playing frisbee in the front yard with my Uncle Keith, while my sister and I caught grasshoppers and hung out in the plastic swimming pool and ate popsicles.  Or playing hotwheels in the living room on a Saturday afternoon in the winter, taking breaks when we heard the furnace click on to sit in front of the register vent with a blanket stretched across our laps and tucked under our legs, ballooning up as the air came out of the vent, then running back out (now with warm feet) to keep playing when it shut back off.  The records were stacked on the turntable right after breakfast and would play through until lunch, as my dad went about the business of being a dad on a Saturday morning.  The click of the changer, the whoosh of one vinyl album coming to rest upon the one spinning below it, then the crackle as the needle seated itself in the groove just before the music began to play.  For some reason, there was always the background scent of wet wallpaper — my parents were always either stripping wallpaper off or putting new wallpaper back on. 

All that, just from hearing this song.
I can swear there ain't no Heaven, But I pray there ain't no hell
Have not  heard this one in a very, very long time! Wow. It aged pretty well.
all I can hear is Paolo Nuttini
swear there aint no heaven
pray there is no hell

when im gone i'll have 2  to carry on
Here I go...............her comes the devil........me    bluegrass and 60's rock  
carry on  
One the finest live bands I've ever heard. Absolute Dy-no-mite!
Been a while since I heard this one!  Thanks
The best sounding album of the sixties.
An audiophile great. One of the first 16 track recordings.
On LP - Try to find a clean first pressing (Columbia 2-eyed) or an early 70's pressing (thick cardboard cover - no UPC)
On SACD any but the 2001 single layer SACD on Columbia is the best.
CD/SACD - The Audio Fidelity slightly better then the MoFi SACD..
Avoid the Quad version - it's a terrible.mix.
 arnimf wrote:
Blue and Country and Polka and Funk and weird time changes and a dead drumset. Oh please die already. And the harmonies just before the end polka bit are from Phantom of the Opera.

 
This song's from 1968.  Just saying.  {#Smile}
Blue and Country and Polka and Funk and weird time changes and a dead drumset. Oh please die already. And the harmonies just before the end polka bit are from Phantom of the Opera.
{#Sunny}
 shari wrote:
BS&Ts version is good — but Laura Nero's (the writer) rendition is the definitive one. Whew, I just may upload some fabulous Laura Nero songs — this is one of her best.
—Shari
 
Please do!  I can't find a one!  How about from "New York Tendaberry" and from "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession", and maybe from that album that she did with that soul band, what was their name.   Oh, yeah, Pattie Labelle and the BlueBells.  "Gonna Take A Miracle".
Decades and decades later this song still has a knack for ruining my day.
 bluedot wrote:
the sentiment ain't bad, but the delivery is a bit on the schmaltzy side.

even for david clayton-thomas.

there's a laura nyro version?

let's hear it!

 

Yes! Where is some Laura Nyro? Saw her at the old Guthrie in Minneapolis. Fantastic seats, fantastic concert.
Met DCT in CBC studios when his voice was still bigger than his head, them's were the days.
They had a lot of good tunes besides this one. 
Damn, I haven't heard this in AGES! Bill's really stretching his legs today...
A very nice hifi recording.   Huge dynamic range.

 
Pez wrote:
Sorry... I just really hate this.
Hey I guess we're palindrome pals. I like this though.
the sentiment ain't bad, but the delivery is a bit on the schmaltzy side. even for david clayton-thomas. there's a laura nyro version? let's hear it!
Sorry... I just really hate this.
Forgive me! That's Laura Nyro (that still doesn't look right, hmmm) --Shari
BS&Ts version is good -- but Laura Nero's (the writer) rendition is the definitive one. Whew, I just may upload some fabulous Laura Nero songs -- this is one of her best. --Shari
Yeah! More Blood, Sweat, and Tears!
willmcnaught wrote:
I know this dates me, but this might be the 2nd or 3rd lp I bought, way back when in 1968? Thanks for the flashback! Perhaps we could here something else from this disc <-o<
I might be a year or two younger than you...I had the 45 ;-) And it is fun to hear this again. While BST was a band that I suppose had some bombastic tendencies, this works. I still like Spinning Wheel too!
Would rather hear Laura Nyro's version
willmcnaught wrote:
I know this dates me, but this might be the 2nd or 3rd lp I bought, way back when in 1968? Thanks for the flashback! Perhaps we could here something else from this disc <-o<
Oh Yes! I second that!
I know this dates me, but this might be the 2nd or 3rd lp I bought, way back when in 1968? Thanks for the flashback! Perhaps we could here something else from this disc <-o<
Tunes like this one from BS&T and Chicago Transit Authority just bring a smile to my face. Thanks, RP, for making my day.
Interesting history of BS&T on AMG. It's worth a read to see how they disenfranchised themselves from their fan base by alignining themselves with the "establishment".
mike1g wrote:
Wow, I guess I am the young punk (31) belly aching now. But this song.....well....how do you say....it really sucks. It sounds like a mix between church gospel, and a parade marching band. I really think this is one of those songs for which you have to "be there" to appreciate it. But without hearing it, I would not be able to have an opinion one way or the other. So keep em comin Bill.
What a young punk! Just Kidding, but really, I guess you did have to be there because I remember this from when I was just a wee lad, I'm 39 now, but this brings back some memories of when I first realized the beauty and variety of music. ahhh, paradise, oh wait, here it is in convenient internet form! Whoo hoo! Rock on!
Wow, I guess I am the young punk (31) belly aching now. But this song.....well....how do you say....it really sucks. It sounds like a mix between church gospel, and a parade marching band. I really think this is one of those songs for which you have to \"be there\" to appreciate it. But without hearing it, I would not be able to have an opinion one way or the other. So keep em comin Bill.
What a treat to hear this song - I remember this being one of my father\'s favourite records when I was a child. It never fails to bring a smile to my face. :)
Wow does this song take me back....I love it, Thanks Bill!
I was thinking about this song last week, wondering if I\'d ever hear it played on RP. Thanks, Bill, You must have read my mind! :)