AboutChris M. Zangara Expertise I`m not only a Zeppelin collector but I have been collecting Zeppelin - Page(solo) Plant(solo) and Page/Plant for over 18 years. I am truly a lover of Page/Plant music in & out of Zeppelin simply because of the honesty of it all. - I have been studying them for as long as I have been listening to Rock/Blues Music. I look forward to any question and will answer the very best I can - as above all - I am just a fan like you!
Question I think the origin of this song goes back to the Deep South in old times. It could be over 100 years old. Robert Plant, in the recently released DVD seems to refer to this in is intro to the song as they performed in 1975(?) at Earl's Court.
Answer Hey Matt, nice to hear from you again.
The origins of 'In My Time Of Dying' span back about 80+ years, with the actual first recording coming from Blind Willie Johnson in 1927 known as "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed." (The original was a spiritual church-hymn titled 'Jesus Goin' A-makeup My Dyin' Bed' that cannot correctly be dated.)
I highly recommend a great website dedicated to the history of the song (make sure you scroll all the way through the page) The website is posted at the end of my answer below.
As far as Robert Plant's comments during live Zeppelin shows, Plant's famous wry sense of humor often leads to exaggerations. He loves to poke fun at his own age, and the age of his career & music as well.
On stage -- with or without Led Zeppelin - Robert Plant has often made references to Zeppelin's own original material as, "hundreds of years in the making." And when it comes to Zep's old folk standards and remakes, (one example has Plant introducing "Gallows Pole" as "...800 years old!" Not quite..), Robert usually is full of astoundingly factual information including dates, places and names - or he mixes it up with his own humorous interpretations.
Keep in mind that Plant's sense of humor equally stems from A) his huge ego - and B) his humility. Robert Plant certainly knows where, and who he is - but he's also never forgotten where he came from; which is why he is so well respected within the music business, let alone the world of music fans. One can't forget the incredible high's and devastating low's that Plant had been through during his career with Zeppelin. And at one point, after the 1976 car crash (in Greece, while on vacation following the incredible success of their 1975 tour which ended with 5 historic shows at London's Earl's Court!) that crippled Robert for almost a full year...he vowed never to sing 'In My Time Of Dying' again.
An intrical part of the magic of Zeppelin's version was the way the band recorded and behaved in the studio. The "LIVE" sound of Led Zeppelin was a huge reason for Zeppelin's success. They never did more than a few takes when recording most songs. If something wasn't working, they moved on to something else, unlike other bands, including The Beatles, who would do upwards of, at times, 100 takes of a song to get it 'just right.' Zeppelin were, on stage AND off, a live band. Always.
Many songs were indeed recorded live, mistakes included -- which added to the tension of the music and where it was headed before the end of each number -- with only minimal overdubs when needed. Some examples include "Dazed & Confused", "Since I've Been Loving You" (you can actually hear Bonham's squeaky bass drum pedal during the intro here), "The Lemon Song", "Hey Hey What Can I Do", "You Shook Me", "Black Country Woman", "Boogie With Stu" and yes, "In My Time Of Dying" which has the band on such a frenzy they didn't know how, or when, to end it all. Zeppelin's improvisational "sixth sense" during their on stage performances was evident here in the studio for sure....until the ending which includes Page coughing, Plant singing the word "coughhh.." (instead of "bed...") and John Bonham pleading, "That's gotta to be the one hasn't it!" to which engineer Eddie Kramer says, "Come 'ave a listen then."
Jimmy Page recalls that "In My Time Of Dying" was still being put together when they first recorded it. "It was jammed at the end and we didn't even have a proper way to stop the thing." Page liked this approach because it made the band sound like "a working group." On the other hand, Plant was apparently not too keen on singing the song after suffering his serious car crash. As he said later: "Why the hell did I sing that song?" (Although it did turn up occasionally during Zep's 1977 tour.)
'In My Time Of Dying' was played for the first time in the 1975 warm-ups and during the entire American tour and at Earl's Court. In 1977 it was alternated with 'Over The Hills..' Some of the best and most powerful versions come from the 77 tour. Never again played after the tragic end of this American tour. (Plant's son died suddenly, ending the tour and Zeppelin's appearance in America forever).
Anyway, back to the business at hand.. 'In My Time Of Dying'. Please check out this link. Scroll through it all and take your time. There's some really good reading on the subject. If you have any problem, let me know.
