God Tunes: How Christians Miss the Point of “Spirit in the Sky”

Singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum has explained in multiple interviews that he’d been working on the music for “Sprit in the Sky” for a while but that he wrote the lyrics in about 15 minutes. First he tried a jug band accompaniment since at the time he led the novelty group Dr. West’s Medicine Show and Junk Band. It wasn’t a good fit. He did some solo folk music work and tried putting the words to a traditional folk arrangement. That didn’t work either. He even tried a delta blues version, if you can imagine. But he submitted the folk-song approach to Reprise Records, and staff producer Erik Jacobsen, who had worked closely with Loving Spoonful on their numerous hits, gave Greenbaum’s song everything it needed to reach Gold-record status. The distinct lead-in, guitar distortion, upbeat psychedelic rock sound, and gospel singing and hand percussion by the Stovall Sisters made “Spirit in the Sky” an instant and undying classic. It would also make it nearly impossible to replicate outside of the studio. The infectious rhythm drove the simple but impactful lyrics into the general public’s heart, but somehow Greenbaum missed the point of “Spirit in the Sky” and so do many Christians to this day.

Norman Greenbaum, an Orthodox Jew, wrote "Spirit in the Sky" without realizing the full truth of its message.
Singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum wrote “Spirit in the Sky” and still missed the point about Jesus. So did and do many Christians.

Greenbaum has repeated that the lyrics were based on the feeling he got as a kid growing up in the 1950s watching Westerns on T.V. Cowboys wanted to die with their boots on. In other words, they wanted to die on their feet, in their work, in action. Greenbaum wanted to die with his boots on, too. Most soldiers and soldiers in Christ want to die with their boots on, continuing to do the work God placed them here to do up until the day they die. Greenbaum explained that he needed a faith base to couch this sentiment in for the song, so being a practical man of near Orthodox Jewish rearing, he decided that Christianity would have the most appeal. He said it had to be simple; it didn’t have to be true, but it had to be simple. Little did he understand. He shared that his Jewish family and friends may not have approved, but what were they going to say when “Sprit in the Sky” became a major hit in 1969? It’s hard to argue with success. Christians on the other hand had something to say.

The first stanza through the chorus of “Spirit in the Sky” has a Universalism flavor, a nod to Native American beliefs, and God meeting listeners where they’re at through Greenbaum’s talents.

[Verse 1]
When I die and they lay me to rest
Gonna go to the place that’s the best
When I lay me down to die
Goin’ up to the spirit in the sky

[Chorus]
Goin’ up to the spirit in the sky (Spirit in the sky)
That’s where I’m gonna go when I die (When I die)
When I die and they lay me to rest
I’m gonna go to the place that’s the best

The second stanza lays it on the line. You need to get right with Jesus if you want to go heaven. This was 1969 when a full 83 percent of the U.S. population claimed to be some denomination of Christianity; the record sold over 2 million copies in the U.S. It was an international hit as well. Plus, it subsequently made to the top of the charts in Britain under two separate covers as well. People loved it. They had no problem with the message that you needed Jesus as a friend in life and as The Way to eternal life. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” wrote John in 14:6 NIV.

[Verse 2]
Prepare yourself, you know it’s a must
Gotta have a friend in Jesus
So you know that when you die
He’s gonna recommend you to the spirit in the sky (Spirit in the sky)

[Chorus]

Woah, he’ll recommend you to the spirit in the sky
That’s where you’re gonna go when you die (When you die)
When you die and they lay you to rest
You’re gonna go to the place that’s the best

[Instrumental Break]

As an aside, all Christians know on an intellectual level that the only way to the Father is through the Son, but may struggle putting that into practice. We’re supposed to pray without ceasing, and the bible is clear that we pray to the Father in the name of the Son. We don’t pray to Jesus, and yet we are to have a relationship with him as our friend, confidant, comforter, Lord and Savior. Trying to remember that they’re one in the same might help as one matures in their faith. The only way through any confusion is to pray for a clearer understanding of our triune God. Greenbaum’s straightforward “Gotta have a friend in Jesus” line appealed to listeners all over the globe.

Then we come to the third verse:

[Verse 3]
Never been a sinner, I never sinned
I got a friend in Jesus
So you know that when I die
He’s gonna set me up with the spirit in the sky

[Chorus]

Woah, set me up with the spirit in the sky (Spirit in the sky)
That’s where I’m gonna go when I die (When I die)
When I die and they lay me to rest
I’m gonna go to the place that’s the best
Go to the place that’s the best

“Never been a sinner, I never sinned.” Whoa, hold your stagecoach horses, cried Christians. We hear it over and over and over again. We’re all sinners, we’ve all sinned. We are unworthy of God’s love, but he is merciful. We are broken; only God can heal us and, theoretically, use us for his purpose. This is all true, but we can’t reach our full potential, live our best life, or win over any non-believers it we can’t grasp that by dying for our sins, Jesus gave us a clean slate to go forward living for him, which is far better and more fulfilling than what we can accomplish on our own. That controversial yet glorious third stanza punctuated something that took me nearly 60 years to absorb. Psalms 103:12, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Pause and think about that. “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 NIV

God did not have in mind that we focus on mocking, rejection, cruelty and death at the cost of a clean slate, sins that are forgotten not just forgiven, and a joyous and full life. There’s a difference between a crucifix and a cross, and if your church emphasizes the crucifix over the cross, this could be an issue for you. The cross is empty; Jesus has risen. We’re supposed to be living and loving. It’s the devil’s minions that constantly remind of us that we’re not worthy—even after we’ve confessed our sins and asked for forgiveness—and that we can’t live a victorious life. Those are lies. They even use scripture against us, like the Devil did with Jesus when he was fasting in the dessert. Those seeds of doubt propel us to fight everything that is good: God, ourselves, our partners, the family and beyond. The battlefield truly is in the mind. One must embrace this clean slate or be flagellated with past mistakes for the remainder of one’s life, never reaching our full potential or winning over any unbelievers.

Greenbaum fell away from his Jewish upbringing and despite the success of “Spirit in the Sky” never grabbed hold of the redemption Jesus offered. He gravitated toward humorous novelty songs like “The Eggplant That Ate Chicago” before “Spirit in the Sky” and he returned to them with such songs as “Canned Ham” after “Spirit in the Sky.” He never recorded another hit song, eventually folding to become a sous chef in a restaurant serving American fare. He always remained grateful for his “one good thing,” and God must have heard that in his heart. The song has been used, according to Greenbaum, over 50 times in movies, television shows, and advertisements. The royalties have provided a comfortable living for Greenbaum. The reinterest the song generated propelled him back into the music business, but Covid put an end to that momentum—just in case you needed another reason to understand that the shutdowns and destruction of music was decidedly not a God thing.

God decidedly blessed “Spirit in the Sky.” It reached No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1970, and it stayed in the Top 100 for 15 weeks. (If you’re curious like I was, the songs in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions were “ABC” by The Jackson 5 and “Let It Be” by The Beatles, respectively.) “Spirit in the Sky” was the No. 22 song of 1970, and made it to No. 1 on the UK, Australian and Canadian charts. Rolling Stone ranked “Spirit in the Sky” No. 333—ahem—on its list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” As mentioned, cover version—by Doctor and the Medics and Gareth Gates—also made it to No. 1 in the UK.

In 2015, Greenbaum and his woman, Bonita Perea, were involved in a fatal collision with a motorcyclist and passenger. Greenbaum was seriously injured and although he’s recovered much of his mobility, he does use a cane. He and Perea, who also sings, make occasional public appearances, like at the unveiling of the “Spirit in the Sky” mural by Jesse Melanson in Malden, Massachusetts, where Greenbaum was born and raised. Working in their garden at home in Santa Rosa the two sing for themselves and each other. Here’s hoping God continues to bless them.

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