• Track: My Sweet Lord
• Artist: Jim James
• Album: Tribute To
• Year: 2009

Lyrics:

My sweet lord
Hm, my lord
Hm, my lord

I really want to see you
Really want to be with you
Really want to see you, lord
But it takes so long, my lord

(hare krishna)
My sweet lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (krishna krishna)

My sweet lord
Hm, my lord
Hm, my lord

I really want to know you
Really want to go with you
Really want to show you, lord
That it won’t take long, my lord (hallelujah)

My sweet lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)

I really want to see you
Really want to see you
Really want to see you, lord
Really want to see you, lord
But it takes so long, my lord (hallelujah)

My sweet lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hallelujah)

I really want to know you (hallelujah)
Really want to go with you (hallelujah)
Really want to show you lord (aaah)
That it won’t take long, my lord (hallelujah)

Hmm (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
My, my, lord (hallelujah)

Hm, my lord (hare Krishna)
My, my, my lord (hare Krishna)
Oh hm, my sweet lord (Krishna, Krishna)
Oh-uuh-uh (hare hare)

Now, I really want to see you (hare rama)
Really want to be with you (hare rama)
Really want to see you lord (aaah)
But it takes so long, my lord (hallelujah)

Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hare Krishna)
My sweet lord (hare Krishna)
My sweet lord (Krishna Krishna)
My lord (hare hare)
Hm, hm (Gurur Brahma)
Hm, hm (Gurur Vishnu)
Hm, hm (Gurur Devo)
Hm, hm (Maheshwara)
My sweet lord (Gurur Sakshaat)
My sweet lord (Parabrahma)
My, my, my lord (Tasmayi Shree)
My, my, my, my lord (Guruve Namah)
My sweet lord (Hare Rama)

[fade:]

(hare Krishna)
My sweet lord (hare Krishna)
My sweet lord (Krishna Krishna)
My lord (hare hare)

I am feeling a bit introspective today and this song fits that bill. George Harrison wrote My Sweet Lord in 1969 and released it on his 1970 album, All Things Must Pass. The track is deeply spiritual, and according to Harrison, the track was written to be applicable to people of all faiths. The background vocals through the beginning and middle of the track feature the Hebrew word of praise, Hallelujah, but later becomes the first twelve words (Sanskrit) of the Hare Krishna mantra, known as the Maha-mantra:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama

Harrison said he used both “Hallelujah” and “Hare Krishna” to show that the terms meant “quite the same thing.”

In 2009, My Morning Jacket vocalist Jim James released A Tribute To, a six-track EP of George Harrison covers. James’s haunting and melancholy vocals are the perfect canvas for this track and add a sense of longing that surpasses that of Harrison’s version. James’s version drops Harrison’s signature slide guitar riff, and while this riff is my favorite part of Harrison’s version, James carries the song beautifully with his spot-perfect vocals.

In 2017, James released A Tribute to 2, this time, a full-length record covering a mostly obscure list of songs from well-known artists, including Bob Dylan. Also worth checking out is James’s version of Elton John’s Rocket Man. While James’s best work is with My Morning Jacket, he has churned out some excellent covers that are well worth adding to any music lover’s collection.

Video:

There is no official video for this track, so I have linked to a high-quality audio clip instead. Enjoy.

And just for comparison, here is George Harrison’s original:

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