Body Mind & Soul Lyrics — Altar Boyz
Body Mind & Soul Lyrics
don't care about the things they say, what's that about?
they're superficial bout their looks
but they ain't read His super book, what's that about?
gotta have the clothes, gotta have the perfect body,
i'm telling you that God, He don't care about that
you gotta work on your soul,
if just your outside is nice, you'll be paying the price
you gotta work on your soul,
use it everyday or it'll go away
you got to work, work, work on your soul
i know, i know, y'all thinkin "chill luke, i ain't tryna hear that"
well you better open your mind, look at me,
i've been working at it since i was a kid
everything i read or hear or see didn't make no sense to me
what's that about? yeah, i know..
went to school most every week, it was like they was talking Greek
what's that about? i had no idea!
lost and confused, headed in the wrong direction,
then i made a new connection that hooked me up
i got to work on my soul,
who needs a g.e.d., i got my b.i.b.l.e
i got to work on my soul,
now i'm spreading the word cause it's the one i heard,
and i got to work, work, work, on my...
(hazy at this point)
pick up what I'm laying down
and you can be part of the sound
come on it's worth the reward
if you want to go, then get on board
yo fellas, what?
are you ready to go to work? yeah!
hit me again, are you ready to go to work? yeah!
put some stank on it!
are you ready? yeah! are you ready?
yeah! are you ready? yeah! are you ready? yeah!
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
here it comes!!
*music break*
yaoooo!!~
its up in this(??)
hanging tough!
come on now!
Good God!!
you gotta work, work, work on your soul!
you gotta work it out, work, work, work on your soul!
i mean without a doubt
work work on your soul!
?? high and dry
work work on your soul!
until the day you die
work it work it work it work it work it work it
come on now, put your hand on the speaker!
work, can you feel it, work, can you feel it,
work, make me feel it, work, make me feel it,
work, i can feel it, work, yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, (work, work, work, work...)
you got to work, you got to work
cause i believe, i believe,
i believe, i believe, i believe, i believe, i believe,
i believe, i believe, i believe, i believeeee!!
(work, work, work, work,...)
wooOooOo! if you're down and lowly, you got to get holy!
if you're dirty with sin, you got to take a shower in redemption,
whoaaa-ooOooo!!
Song Overview
Review and Highlights
Quick summary
- Featured number: Luke, framed as a mid-show reset after the onstage flirtation of the previous segment.
- Cast-recording timing: 3:55 on major catalog listings.
- Stage function: a plea to refocus the room, and the band, on what matters when jealousy and distraction start to creep in.
- Common rehearsal anchors from commercial materials: E flat (accompaniment listing) and about 118 BPM (tempo listing).
Altar Boyz (2005) - stage musical number - diegetic. Mid-concert feature for Luke, delivered straight to the audience as part of the set. Why it matters: it is the first moment where the bad-boy persona turns managerial, trying to keep the group from eating itself alive under the spotlight.
The song wears a funk-pop grin, but the subtext is less friendly. Luke is not just selling the message, he is trying to steer a wobbling bus back into its lane. The groove gives him authority: steady, grounded, body-first. Meanwhile the lyric folds in the show’s central trick - spiritual language shaped like a pop hook, serious intent delivered with concert polish. According to Playbill magazine, the production leans on tight pop rhythm and synchronized choreography, and this number makes that discipline feel like a moral stance rather than a dance note.
Key takeaways
- Funk as persuasion: the beat plants Luke’s argument in the body before it reaches the head.
- Persona reveal: the so-called rebel becomes the one demanding focus and accountability.
- Ensemble stakes: the number plays best when the band supports Luke without stealing the steering wheel.
Creation History
Music and lyrics are by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker with a book by Kevin Del Aguila. The original cast recording was released May 17, 2005 on Ghostlight (Sh-K-Boom), and the official-audio upload credits Doug Katsaros as recording producer. The arrangement is built to sound commercially plausible, but it also carries a theatrical job: it must land as a concert hit while nudging the plot forward.
Song Meaning and Annotations
Plot
The musical is staged as the final stop of a touring faith-forward boy band. After a romantic concert feature goes sideways internally, Luke steps in to pull focus back to the mission. In the story, he is fed up with the jealousy and the distractions, and he argues that both the band and the crowd should pay attention to their souls - including his own, since he has been working on his.
Song Meaning
On the surface, the message is self-improvement: body, mind, and soul aligned toward something better. Onstage, it is also crowd control. Luke is trying to reassert purpose, but the show lets you notice the tension between the band’s branding and the messy needs underneath. The number becomes a pivot point: the mission can still be sincere, but sincerity has to survive group dynamics, ego, and the sheer machinery of performance.
Annotations
-
In the synopsis, Luke is fed up with the jealousy and pleads for the band and the audience to focus on their souls, since he has been working on his.
This is Luke grabbing the microphone for a reason beyond applause. The lyric is not only a message to the crowd, it is a message to the group, delivered in the only language they all speak fluently: a set number.
-
Licensing track lists credit the number to Luke as his featured moment.
That matters theatrically. The show has been teasing Luke as the troublemaker, then hands him the most responsible pivot of the evening. The contrast is the character work.
-
Commercial accompaniment listings place the song in E flat and offer a complete track length just under four minutes.
Useful for rehearsal, but it also hints at the sound: E flat tends to sit warmly for group blend while giving the lead room to bark, croon, and talk-sing without strain.
-
Tempo listings describe the track at about 118 BPM and note an A flat major key.
Take that as a reference, not a command. In performance, many productions lean into a funk feel that can sit slightly behind the beat. The point is grounded insistence, not frantic drive.
Rhythm and arc
The groove stays planted while Luke’s argument escalates. That is the craft: the number sounds like confidence even when it is motivated by irritation. The audience gets a concert banger; the band gets a warning light on the dashboard.
Technical Information (Quick Facts)
- Song: Body Mind and Soul
- Artist: Altar Boyz (Original Off-Broadway Cast)
- Featured: Luke
- Composer: Gary Adler; Michael Patrick Walker
- Producer: Doug Katsaros (recording producer listed in official-audio metadata)
- Release Date: May 17, 2005
- Genre: Musical theatre; pop parody; funk-pop inflection
- Instruments: Lead and backing vocals; rhythm section; keys; guitar; stage-band textures
- Label: Ghostlight Records; Sh-K-Boom Records
- Mood: Grounded, corrective, crowd-facing
- Length: 3:55
- Track #: 9 (cast album)
- Language: English
- Album (if any): The Altar Boyz (Original Cast Recording)
- Music style: Funk-leaning pop inside a concert-premise stage score
- Poetic meter: Mixed stress patterns aligned to pop phrasing
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is featured in this number?
- Licensing track lists credit it to Luke as his featured moment, with the band supporting.
- Where does it land in the show’s story flow?
- It follows a jealousy flare-up and functions as a pivot back to mission and focus inside the concert.
- Is the song performed as part of the concert?
- Yes. It stays diegetic, aimed directly at the audience as a set number.
- What is the core message?
- Alignment and accountability: body, mind, and soul aimed in the same direction, not scattered by distraction.
- How long is it on the cast recording?
- Major listings give it as 3:55.
- Does the official-audio upload list a recording producer?
- Yes. The upload credits Doug Katsaros as recording producer.
- Do accompaniment listings provide a key?
- Commercial accompaniment listings offer it in E flat, useful for auditions and rehearsals.
- Do tempo listings exist?
- Yes. One tempo database lists it at about 118 BPM, but productions may adjust feel for funk pocket and staging.
- What is the most common performance pitfall?
- Overplaying anger. Luke’s authority reads best when the groove stays controlled and the critique lands with precision.
Awards and Chart Positions
The song is not typically tracked as a standalone chart single. The show behind it won the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, and Playbill magazine reported the cast recording appearing on Billboard’s Top Cast Albums chart in 2007 coverage. That context matters because the score is written to mimic commercial pop and the recording had documented chart visibility.
| Item | Result | Date / Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer Critics Circle - Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical (show) | Winner | 2005 | Award category listing includes the show and principal writers |
| Drama Desk Awards (show) | Nominations | 2005 | Multiple nominations listed in reference summaries, including music and lyrics |
| Billboard Top Cast Albums (cast recording) | Chart activity reported | 2007 | Playbill coverage discusses the recording on the chart |
How to Sing Body Mind and Soul
Listings give practical starting points: E flat for accompaniment tracks and about 118 BPM from tempo databases. The real job is controlling groove while delivering a corrective message without turning it into a scold.
- Lock the pocket: start under tempo, then build toward about 118 BPM while keeping the funk feel slightly behind the beat.
- Text clarity: treat consonants like rhythm instruments. Crisp releases keep the message sharp without extra volume.
- Breath planning: mark quick inhales before longer phrases. The groove should not speed up because you ran out of air.
- Lead authority: sing with grounded placement, not shouted intensity. The character wins by steadiness.
- Ensemble support: backers should match vowels and cutoffs, making Luke’s lines feel like a supported argument, not a solo complaint.
- Movement integration: rehearse the hardest choreography while singing at full tempo. This number fails when the body takes over and the pitch follows.
- Mic habits: keep distance consistent on spoken-sung lines, then open slightly on bigger hooks to avoid sudden peaks.
- Pitfalls: rushing the groove, pushing volume instead of placement, and playing anger more than purpose.
Additional Info
Luke’s role is often summarized as the bad boy, but this number complicates that label. The writing gives him the most grounded kind of leadership: not inspirational speeches, just a blunt insistence that the work matters. Dctheaterarts noted that the show’s character spotlights help the cast carve distinct personas, and this is Luke’s proof. He is not only the rebel - he is the one who can call time-out when the band’s shine starts turning corrosive.
Key Contributors
| Entity | Type | Relationship (S-V-O) |
|---|---|---|
| Gary Adler | Person | Adler wrote music and lyrics for Altar Boyz. |
| Michael Patrick Walker | Person | Walker wrote music and lyrics for Altar Boyz. |
| Kevin Del Aguila | Person | Del Aguila wrote the book for Altar Boyz. |
| Doug Katsaros | Person | Katsaros is credited as recording producer in official-audio metadata. |
| Ghostlight Records | Organization | Ghostlight Records distributed the cast recording and official-audio uploads. |
| Sh-K-Boom Records | Organization | Sh-K-Boom Records is credited on the 2005 release. |
| Concord Theatricals | Organization | Concord Theatricals publishes licensing track lists crediting Luke for this number. |
Sources
Sources: Concord Theatricals show page and track list, Apple Music album listing, YouTube official audio upload (Ghostlight Records metadata), PianoTrax accompaniment listing, SongBPM tempo and key listing, Playbill cast-album chart coverage (2007), Playbill cast-album recording report (2005), Wikipedia production and song synopsis, Dctheaterarts review (2018), New York Theatre Guide Outer Critics Circle winners list