"I'm Working on a Building" is a song in both the African American spiritual and southern gospel traditions. The song has become a standard of the genres. It has been recorded many times, by artists such as The Carter Family,^[1] Bill Monroe,^[2] Elvis Presley,^[3] the Oak Ridge Boys,^[3] B. B. King,^[4] John Fogerty,^[5] The Seldom Scene,^[6] and Theo Lawrence.^[7]

One version of the song is credited to Lillian Bowles and Winifred O. Hoyle,^[3] though it existed as a traditional folk song for longer than that, likely a negro spiritual of indeterminate origin. An early version of the song was collected in a 1929 book, Old Songs Hymnal by Dorothy G. Bolton; the song is described as having a calypso feel to it, leading to speculation that it may have originated in Florida or the Caribbean.^[8]

The song became popularly associated with Southern gospel music when The Carter Family recorded it in 1934 for Bluebird Records; this version is copyrighted to A. P. Carter. Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music, added it to his regular set-list due to numerous requests from fans, and because he appreciated the construction metaphor in the song's lyrics. It is believed that the Carter version was itself based on a much older version which the folklorist John Wesley Work III later included in his 1940 collection American Negro Songs and Spirituals.^[9][10]

Blues legend B. B. King first learned the song as a young street musician, and it became a regular part of his repertoire during his early career.^[11] John Fogerty included the song in his first solo project, The Blue Ridge Rangers.^[5]