"Heaven Belongs to You" is a song featured in the 1985 film The Color Purple, based on the novel of the same name by Alice Walker.
Background[]
The song was composed by Andrae Crouch and Sandra Crouch and performed by the Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ Choir, featuring Andrae Crouch on piano and David Stone on upright bass. The song is a gospel hymn that expresses the belief that living a righteous life will lead to salvation and eternal happiness. It appears in the film during a scene where Celie Harris Johnson (played by Whoopi Goldberg), a poor and abused black woman in rural Georgia, attends a church service with her sister Nettie Harris (played by Akosua Busia) and witnesses the joy and faith of the congregation. The song contrasts with Celie's misery and oppression and foreshadows her eventual liberation and empowerment.
Lyrics[]
If you live right, heaven belongs to you,
If you live right, heaven belongs to you,
If you live right, heaven belongs to you.
O, heaven belongs to you.
If you walk right...
If you walk right, heaven belongs to you,
If you walk right, heaven belongs to you,
If you walk right, heaven belongs to you.
O, heaven belongs to you.
If you talk right, heaven belongs to you,
If you talk right, heaven belongs to you,
If you talk right, heaven belongs to you.
O, heaven belongs to you.
If you pray right, heaven belongs to you,
If you pray right, heaven belongs to you,
If you pray right, heaven belongs to you.
O, heaven belongs to you.
