We don't know who wrote the folk and gospel song 'The Wayfaring Stranger' but it is thought to have originated the early 19th century and over the last 200 years many variations have appeared. It has been sung and recorded by many famous artists including Burl Ives, Paul Robeson, Johnny Cash and even Ed Sheeran.
We named 'The Wayfaring Stranger' one of the best American folk songs of all time. Here are the lyrics to this much-loved American standard.
'Wayfaring Stranger' lyrics
I’m just a poor wayfaring stranger, I’m trav’ling through this world below;
There is no sickness, toil, nor danger, In that bright world to which I go.
I’m going there to see my father, I’m going there no more to roam;
I’m just a going over Jordan, I’m just a going over home.
I know dark clouds will gather o’er me, I know my pathway’s rough and steep;
But golden fields lie out before me, Where weary eyes no more shall weep.
I’m going there to see my mother, She said she’d meet me when I come;
I’m just a going over Jordan, I’m just a going over home.
I want to sing salvations story, In concert with the blood-washed band;
I want to wear a crown of glory, When I get home to that good land.
I’m going there to see my brothers, They passed before me one by one;
I’m just a going over Jordan, I’m just a going over home.
I’ll soon be free from every trial, This form will rest beneath the sod;
I’ll drop the cross of self-denial, And enter in my home with God.
I’m going there to see my Saviour, Who shed for me His precious blood;
I’m just a going over Jordan, I’m just a going over home.
Who sang 'The Wayfaring Stranger'?
The song has been covered by many major American singers:
• Musician, singer and actor Burl Ives performed it frequently, and named his autobiography after the song.
• Singer Paul Robeson performed 'Wayfaring Stranger' at his acclaimed 1945 and 1947 New York concerts.
• Country singer Emmylou Harris included a cover version of the song on her 1980 album Roses in the Snow.
• Country legend Johnny Cash covered 'Wayfaring Stranger' for his 2000 album American III: Solitary Man.
• In the 2003 film Cold Mountain, The White Stripes's Jack White, playing Georgia, performed the song
• A 2015 cover version by Norwegian bluegrass ensemble Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra became a YouTube hit.
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