Sacred Harp singing is a form of Gospel music that originated in the American South in the mid-1800s.  The name comes from the original songbook published in 1844, The Sacred Harp by B.F. White and E.J. King.  Every note on the 8-note scale (do, re, mi et cetera) is assigned a specific shape, so that untrained singers could read the music easily.  

I don't usually go for Gospel music (though I love quite a lot of sacred music from the Classical tradition), but there's something I like a lot about this song.  The cacophony of untrained voices gives a harshness to the sound, and lends a sense of urgency to the existential question that opens it: "And am I born to die?"