Rugby World Cup: Why Swing Low Sweet Chariot?

If you’re not an English rugby supporter then Swing Low Sweet Chariot will drive you NUTS for the six weeks that England hosts the 2015 Rugby World Cup. But what the heck does it even mean?

Well according to Wikipedia it was first sung in 1909 as an African American Spiritual, recorded by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. It was written by a freed slave named Wallis Willis (he also wrote Steal Away) and was meant to be a song of hidden meaning about the “underground railroad” which was a freedom movement helping Southern slaves escape to the North of America and Canada.

Got the rugby reference yet? No?

What about the escaping reference? Me neither, unless it’s to try and psyche them up about getting away from New Zealand’s mighty All Blacks!

Anyhoo, Sweet Chariot had a revival during the 1960s Civil Rights movement and was made most famous probably by Joan Baez’s version at the 1969 Woodstock. It was adopted by England rugby in 2002 and in 2011 it was signed in as the Oklahoma State official gospel song.

Twickenham, the home of Swing Low Sweet Chariot. Pic Flickr/LouiseTolman

How did Swing Low Sweet Chariot become the England Rugby song?

According to Uncle Wiki, it had been a rugby match and drinking song with rude gestures (you had to drink if you got the actions wrong) for decades, but in 1988 it became the unofficial England rugby song after England, who had only scored one try in the previous two years, were down 0-3 against Ireland at Twickenham in their last game of the season. But in the second half England scored six tries winning 35-3.

The first theory is that a group of school boys from Douai School used to sing Swing Low Sweet Chariot whenever a try was scored. They sang and they sang during the second half, and fans around them joined in.

The second theory is that a few guys from Market Bosworth Rugby Club started singing it. At the same moment. Either way, it started at that game in 1988, England went on to thump Ireland and that’s pretty much why today Swing Low Sweet Chariot is the England rugby song, officially adopted in 2002.

Now, go win that pub quiz!

Here’s the official version for the 2015 Rugby World Cup