I’m So Glad Today I’m Ready: An Appalachian Song About Greeting Death
Imagine welcoming death with calm and joy!
I learned “I’m So Glad, Today I’m Ready,” from the singing of Clara Dickeson, a young woman who recorded the song in the 1940s or ‘50s as part of a folklore class project at Berea College in Kentucky. Clara’s voice was so clear and honest, and the sentiments and imagery of the song so beautiful…this song has been one of my favorites ever since.
I liked this song so much that I did change the words a bit, transitioning some of the Christian imagery to imagery linked to the trees, rivers and mountains that I’d like my soul to return to after death.
Come learn this whole song with me in my upcoming course “The Unquiet Grave.” We’ll be exploring Scottish and Appalachian stories, folklore and songs to help us mourn the dead, but also wonder and celebrate the possibilities of the great hereafter. Bringing the beautiful and complex presence of death back into our common consciousness is much needed work, and being prepared for this transition- and even singing joyfully about it- can give us greater grace and serenity while living these miraculous mortal lives.
