Dem Bones Nursery Rhyme-Lyrics, History, Video, Lesson Plans & More

Dem Bones is now known as a children’s song inspired by the story of the prophet Ezekiel in the Bible. However it has been and always will be an African American Song. The song is sometimes called Dry Bones or Dem Dry Bones and sometimes even the skeleton song or skeleton dance! It is an excellent song for teaching children about the bones of the human body.

How did the song come to be a nursery rhyme though? Who drew on the Bible’s inspiration to write the now-famous song?

We answer all that in this fun overview of the Dem Bones. Let’s dive in.

LYRICS

Lyrics for Dem Bones As Sung Today

The song has numerous versions, but they all fall into the same style. This is the most popular version sung for children rather than denominational reasons today.

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones.
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones.
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones.
Doin’ the skeleton dance.

The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone.
The leg bone’s connected to the knee bone.
The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone.
Doin’ the skeleton dance.

The thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone.
The hip bone’s connected to the backbone.
The backbone’s connected to the neck bone.
Doin’ the skeleton dance.

Shake your hands to the left.
Shake your hands to the right.
Put your hands in the air.
Put your hands out of sight.
Shake your hands to the left.
Shake your hands to the right.
Put your hands in the air.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
wiggle, wiggle…wiggle your knees.

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones.
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones.
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones.
Doin’ the skeleton dance.

Some versions swap out dancing for dry, while others swap dem for them. It all depends on what you want to sing. You can switch words for others that make more sense to you as long as the song makes sense. The swapping of words has led to many versions of the song.

Full Original Lyrics for Dem Bones Nursery Rhyme

Since the song is based on a biblical story, it makes sense for the first-ever version to be a gospel folk song. However, the difference between the nursery rhyme today is only in the first two lines. The rest of the song is somewhat the same.

E-ze-kiel cried, “Dem dry bones!”
E-ze-kiel cried, “Dem dry bones!”
E-ze-kiel cried, “Dem dry bones!”
Now* hear the word of the Lord!

Ezekiel connected dem dry bones,
Ezekiel connected dem dry bones,
Ezekiel connected dem dry bones,
Now hear the word of the Lord!

Please note the above is not a biblical passage, they are the lyrics to a gospel song. If you wish to read the bible passage you can do so here on BibleGateway.com

The lyrics which are more known to have a spiritual connection are somewhat as follows:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

THE HISTORY BEHIND DEM BONES NURSERY RHYME

Who Came Up With the Dem Bones Song?

James Weldon Johnson and his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, came up with the song and its melody. However, they didn’t record it first. That record goes to The Famous Myers Jubilee Singers, who recorded the song in 1928.

When the brothers came up with the song, it wasn’t a nursery rhyme. Instead, it was a spiritual song inspired by the book of Ezekiel in the Bible. The specific scripture that inspired the song is Ezekiel 37:1–14, which speaks of the tale of Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones.

Since the first recording by the Famous Myers Jubilee Singers, multiple artists have performed the song, some adding new lines. The most notable examples are Fred Warring and his band, who recorded the song in 1947, and The Delta Rhythm Boys, who recorded a popular version in 1950.

The version by the Delta Rhythm Boys touted Dry bones and laid the groundwork for how we sing the modern version. The Delta Rhythm boys were the first artists to raise the song’s pitch while adding each new bone and their connections.

Here is a video of the Delta Rhythm Boy’s version.

Since then, the song has appeared in films and had variations recorded by different artists. Each of the variations keeps the format and tune of the song, although the lyrics vary slightly from the original.

For instance, Jazz pianist Fats Waller sermonized and added jokes to the song, while Gospel queen Albertina Walker added a righteous tune to the song in the 1960s.

All those have contributed to the popularity and the evolution of the song that’s now popularly known as the Skeleton Dance.

WHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN? DEFINITIONS

What Does the Nursery Rhyme Dem Dry Bones Mean?

Dem Bones when sung as the skeleton song has no particular or hidden interpretation other than to teach children the bones of the body.

In Christian circles, the song is spiritual and teaches children about the experiences and prophecies of the prophet Ezekiel.

What Are Dry Bones?

According to the Bible, Ezekiel has a vision of a valley teeming with dry human bones that God tells him will come back to life. Dry bones are simply the old bones of people long dead.

What Is a Skeleton?

A skeleton is the rigid framework of bones that holds an animal’s body. A human adult has a skeleton with 206 bones. Children start with 270 bones, fusing into 213 and finally 206 when they become adults.

What does dem mean?

Dem is slang for the word them. Them is a plural pronoun. This basically means it is used to refer to more than one person, place or thing. The singular version is the word they.

INTERESTING FACTS & QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Is Dem Bones a Spiritual Song or a Nursery Rhyme?

Dem Bones was first written as a spiritual song and is now both a nursery rhyme and a spiritual song. However, it exists in different versions for each of them. The nursery rhyme version doesn’t sing of the experiences of Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones and is sometimes today called the skeleton song.

As a nursery rhyme, it is an anatomy lesson for kids by mentioning the connections of bones of the human skeleton.

What’s The History of the Dem Bones Song and Black Consciousness?

Today the song might be a fun children’s song sung during Halloween and around campfires.

However, you might not know that the circumstances around which the song was first sung could refer to darker historical times.

You see, the song wasn’t only a spiritual song that pointed to the resurrection of dry bones. Instead, the piece referred to the tough times black people had under slavery. When the song was first written in 1928, slavery was the norm.

To the colored people who sang the song then, it was a prophecy of better times. It was a time when they wouldn’t suffer for their skin and wouldn’t be seen as lesser beings. Spiritual songs were a unifying factor for colored people in the roaring 20s.

Are Dem Bones and Them Bones The Same Song?

Dem Bones might appear to be a corruption of Them Bones, but the two songs aren’t the same. Them Bones is a rock song written and performed by the American rock band Alice in Chains.

Though the names are close, I doubt children would enjoy the rock song, Them Bones.

Is Dem Bones a Public Domain Song?

Public domain songs usually refer to pieces published before 1925. However, this song was first published in 1928 and is unlikely to be in the public domain.

Some sources claim the song is in the public domain in Canada and parts of the European Union, but not the USA. We couldn’t find any information on who owns the song’s copyrights. That means you must exercise a lot of caution when using the song.

If you made a CD of you singing Dem Bones or the Skeleton Dance, your version is not public domain. Therefore, I cannot resell it without your permission–however, you may end up owing some royalties to the copyright owner if there is one–something you would need to research!

(Disclaimer: These are general–not legally confirmed facts, and you need to do more research into the laws in your jurisdiction/country to ensure you may use this song)

How Do You Sing Dem Bones In Sign Language?

You can sing Dem Bones in Sign language. Here is a resource I found to help you with that.

LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES INSPIRED BY THE DEM BONES NURSERY RHYME

The following is a selection of Lesson Plans based on the nursery rhyme Dem Bones. You need to click on the images to go to the websites to learn more and download the resources.