Also known as When I Lay My Burden Down, Since I Laid My Burden Down, Glory, Glory, Hallelujah and other titles, this American spiritual goes back at least to 1928 and has been recorded by many artists down the years in a variety of genres, including folk, country, blues, rock and gospel. It is a very simple song lyrically and musically and appears to reflect the joy of a Christian who knows that by trusting in Jesus Christ he has laid his burden down. In 1971, The Byrds included it as the opening track on their tenth studio album Byrdmaniax. It was suggested by drummer Gene Parsons who knew it from the repertoire of The Art Reynolds Singers, as was the case with the earlier Jesus Is Just Alright (on Ballad of Easy Rider). Art Reynolds is often credited as the composer of the song but it appears to be older than his heyday in the sixties. The Byrds version features a striking piano part and strong gospel backing vocals but was felt to lack the immediacy of the previous Jesus track. Producer Terry Melcher said in a 1977 interview: "We were aiming to cut another Jesus Is Just Alright but we didn't make it. Larry Knechtel [Session musician, part of the wrecking crew] played piano on this cut but it was too fast. The whole thing was a mess." This is a little harsh.
