Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

"Will the Circle Be Unbroken?"
Page from 1908 hymnal.
Song
Written	1907
Composer(s)	Charles H. Gabriel
Lyricist(s)	Ada R. Habershon
Language	English

"Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the chorus appears in the later songs "Can the Circle Be Unbroken" and "Daddy Sang Bass".

The song is generally played to be uplifting to the congregation, and is a frequent standard in gospel revivals.

A reworked version of the song, intended as a funeral hymn, was written by A. P. Carter and released in 1935 by the Carter Family. The Carter version, titled "Can the Circle be Unbroken", uses the same music and the same verse structure but with different verse lyrics and a modified chorus. That version has often been recorded as "Will the Circle be Unbroken", including the 1972 performance by Mother Maybelle Carter and ensemble on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album of the same title.

The original version of the song does not insert "Lord" in lines 2 and 4 of the chorus, though the Carter version does. Also, the third line of the chorus is phrased as a question in the original, but as a declarative sentence in the Carter version, and the Carter version as written begins the chorus with 'Can' instead of 'Will'.

The Carter version is still under copyright.

In 1936, Bill & Charlie Monroe recorded yet a different version.

In 1994, Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon included a parody "Will the Fetus Be Aborted?" on their album Prairie Home Invasion.

In 1999, "Will the Turtle Be Unbroken," a parody, was written and released by Les Barker under the group name The Mrs Ackroyd Band.