Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Sometimes titled "Can The Circle Be Unbroken," this song is based on a gospel hymn published in 1908 with words by Ada Habershon and music by Charles Gabriel, both very prolific writers of church music. The hymn was reworked by the Carter Family and released in 1935. Part country song, part spiritual, it describes a funeral. We see the hearse come to take the singer's mother away, and the slow procession to the grave site. Returning home, he feels a profound loss as he grieves with his siblings. Comfort comes from knowing she is with the Lord.

The original 10-inch, 78 RPM single issued by the Carter Family was titled "Can The Circle Be Unbroken (Bye And Bye)" and was marked "Sacred singing with guitar and autoharp." The group was comprised at this time of A.P. Carter (vocals, guitar), his wife Sara Carter (vocals, autoharp), and her cousin Maybelle Carter (vocals, guitar). Maybelle became a Carter when she married A.P.'s brother, Ezra.

The Carter Family made significant changes to the lyrics, most notably in the chorus, where instead of singing: "By and by, by and by," they sing "By and by Lord by and by." On the Carter Family version, A.P. Carter took the songwriting credit, so subsequent versions recorded with these lyrics must pay royalties to his estate. The 1908 version is in the public domain, but sounds strange to many listeners who are now familiar with the Carter Family rendition and wonder why "Lord" is removed from the chorus. When the song was performed live on The Voice in 2013, the 1908 version was sung in an effort to avoid copyright issues, but viewers objected and expressed their frustrations on social media, demonstrating the perils of performing the original.