🎶 Who Originally Wrote “Dem Dry Bones”?

The song “Dem Bones” (also known as “Dry Bones” or “Dem Dry Bones”) was written by African‑American brothers James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson.
It is a spiritual inspired directly by Ezekiel 37:1–14, the prophet’s vision of the Valley of Dry Bones.

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Song

The chorus and verses are noted for many variations among performers, but fall into the following style. The second verse reverses the first in a pattern similar to: The neck bone (dis)connected from the head bone… etc…

Intro 1 Dem bones Dem bones Dem dry bones Dem bones Dem bones Dem dry bones Dem bones Dem bones Dem dry bones, Hear the word of the Lord. Verse 1 Toe bone connected to the foot bone Foot bone connected to the heel bone Heel bone connected to the ankle bone Ankle bone connected to the leg bone Leg bone connected to the knee bone Knee bone connected to the thigh bone Thigh bone connected to the hip bone Hip bone connected to the back bone Back bone connected to the shoulder bone Shoulder bone connected to the neck bone Neck bone connected to the head bone Hear the word of the Lord. Chorus Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Now hear the word of the Lord.

Intro 2 Dem bones Dem bones Dem dry bones Dem bones Dem bones Dem dry bones Dem bones Dem Bones Dem dry bones, Hear the word of the Lord. Verse 2 Head bone (dis)connected from the neck bone Neck bone connected from the shoulder bone Shoulder bone connected from the back bone Back bone connected from the hip bone Hip bone connected from the thigh bone Thigh bone connected from the knee bone Knee bone connected from the leg bone Leg bone connected from the ankle bone Ankle bone connected from the heel bone Heel bone connected from the foot bone Foot bone connected from the toe bone Hear the word of the Lord. Chorus Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Hear the word of the Lord. Finale Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones. Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones. Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones. Hear the word of the Lord.

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📌 Quick Facts

• Writers:
  • James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) – poet, author, civil rights leader
  • J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954) – composer, singer, arranger
• First known recording:
  • The Famous Myers Jubilee Singers (1928)
• Biblical inspiration:
  • Ezekiel’s prophecy that God would breathe life into Israel again (Ezekiel 37).
• Why the bone‑connecting lyrics?
  • They creatively illustrate the reassembling of the skeleton in Ezekiel’s vision.

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🌿 A Note You Might Appreciate

The song’s refrain “Hear the word of the Lord” is a direct echo of Ezekiel 37:4, where God commands the prophet:

“Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.”

It’s a beautiful example of how African‑American spirituals preserved biblical truth through memorable, rhythmic teaching.

More Information:

Lesson Plan

• ⛪Teaching Outline: “Dem Bones” & Ezekiel 37 (KJV)

Timeline

• 📜 Timeline of the Dry Bones Coming to Life (Ezekiel 37:1–14)