More commonly known in Old Time music as “The Year of Jubilo,” “Kingdom Coming" is a Civil War era minstrel song whose words and melody were written in 1862 by popular composer and abolitionist Henry Clay Work (1832-1884). He was widely seen as the most celebrated popular music songwriter of the Civil War and Reconstruction era. Work was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

“Kingdom Coming" was originally composed as a minstrel song, with the words reflecting the heavy dialect spoken by slaves, and was intended to be performed by blackface troupes. The lyrics describe the impending freedom of a group of slaves after their master flees the plantation, ironically disguising himself as a “contraband" to avoid being captured by advancing Union troops. The theme of this song reflected Work’s strong abolitionist views, and reversed the standard minstrel formula, which typically depicted stereotyped caricatures of docile slaves and an oppressive master.

“The Year of Jubilo” in the chorus of the song refers to the biblical reference in the Old Testament book of Leviticus in which ancient Hebrews were given a commandment to declare a "Jubilee Year" every 50 years. Among other customs described in the Jubilee Year, all slaves were to be set free.

After performances by Edwin P. Christy (Christy’s Minstrels) in April 1862, "Kingdom Coming" quickly became a standard of minstrel shows across the country. Publisher George F. Root promoted the song, which was so successful that he could not keep up with orders. Root claimed it to be his firm's most profitable composition "for nearly a year and a half" and "the most successful patriotic song in the West," selling more than 75,000 copies of the sheet music.

In modern Old Time playing, the original lyrics often are not sung, as words in dialect are seen as objectionable and hard to understand. It is noteworthy to remember though, that the song was intended to be a pro Union and an anti-slavery statement. Here are the lyrics as originally written. If sung without explaining the historical context, players commonly change the potentially offensive words to something more suitable for public performance, as in this example from The Holy Modal Rounders.

An Old Time jam favorite, the melody itself continues to be popular, appearing under numerous names and with various lyrics in several movie soundtracks, cartoons, and popular recordings. This includes singer "Tennessee" Ernie Ford’s hit record in 1958 titled "Sunday Barbecue," which is available in the MP3 player below.

Kingdom Coming/Year Of Jubilo

2nd South Carolina String Band

2004