Adeola, Taiye Shola2023-05-052023-05-052019ALORE: Ilorin Journal of the HumanitiesVol.28, 2019, 112 – 128.0794 - 4551https://uilspace.unilorin.edu.ng/handle/20.500.12484/9619The Nigerian gospel music presents different themes which reflect the realities of the musicians’ experiences within the context of their existence. One of the themes that feature in the song text of the Nigerian gospel music is that of illness and healing for which concepts and symbols exists. Adopting the cultural hermeneutical method and borrowing from Social Representation theory, this paper examines the concepts and symbolic representations of illness and healing in selected Nigerian gospel songs. It is discovered that gospel musicians have evolved certain terminologies for illness and healing in the individual, corporate and Nigerian national life. Illness is thus viewed not only as absence of physical or bodily wellness or being infected with diseases but also considered as any form of disorder, disability, inadequacy, crisis or absence of certain things in individual, community or national life which reflects in the spiritual, economic, social and political lives of the people, while healing is considered as the restoration of the disorder or provision of the things lacked. It is our conclusion in this paper that the Nigerian gospel music is a social commodity which influences and is influenced by the realities of its existence, hence, it has the capacity to adapt to the social realities and generate concepts to appropriately describe them.enConcepts; Symbolic Representations; Gospel Songs; Illness and HealingArticle