Thumbnail of Blind Willie Johnson Blind Willie Johnson

Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground) (3:22)

Cover of The Complete Blind Willie Johnson

From The Complete Blind Willie Johnson and 12 other releases

Blind Willie Johnson’s spiritual masterpiece from 1927. Carl Sagan included this wordless song in an album aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft as part of a message to extra terrestrial life.
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  • discordia23

    the deep end of the blues. really helps my soul-ache

    19 Apr 9:20pm Reply

  • immisterlunch

    Great song, one of the best of the 20th century.

    2 Jan 10:52pm Reply

  • Badabang

    This brings me closer to God. And I am not even a religious person. I am glad they put this aboard the Voyager 1 along with Johann Sebastian Bach.

    25 Dec 2012 Reply

  • SIRIUSACMA

    so emotional and sad

    3 Aug 2012 Reply

  • issadora1

    totally agree with Svatorn, beautiful and haunts my soul x

    6 May 2011 Reply

  • Ninaum

    This one goes out for the victims of the tragedy that just happened in Rio de Janeiro...tristessa

    7 Apr 2011 Reply

  • Svartorn

    Pure desolation.

    2 Dec 2010 Reply

  • Reignmund

    Shakes you to the core.

    26 May 2010 Reply

  • noiresque

    A rare song makes my head stop all thought, my heart float and creates an existence through sound alone.

    18 Mar 2010 Reply

  • earthguru

    If I could imagine one song to illustrate what my Soul feels like, it would be this one...

    25 Nov 2008 Reply

  • Shinmeiryuougi

    Fantastic everything action, if you ask me.

    20 Aug 2008 Reply

  • Oppressotron

    Fantastic slide action.

    18 Aug 2008 Reply

  • Chaz32

    Fantastic.

    24 Feb 2008 Reply

  • hayden_is_a_go

    There's an album placed aboard the Voyager 1, and it's been floating through space since 1977 on its journey to the ends of the universe. Foreseeing an extraterrestrial intercept, astronomer Carl Sagan and his staff put together Sounds of Earth -- including ancient chants, the falling rain, a beating heart, Beethoven, Bach and this song right here. Gotta love Blind Willie.

    12 Nov 2007 Reply

  • elindahl

    Don't believe my charts - THIS is my favorite recording of all time. Absolutely haunting. They don't make music like this any more I'm afraid.

    8 Aug 2007 Reply

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