The Wayfaring Stranger (song)

Last updated
"The Wayfaring Stranger"
Song
Published1858 (earliest known)
Genre American folk music, Gospel
Songwriter(s) Unknown

"The Wayfaring Stranger" (also known as "Poor Wayfaring Stranger", "I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger", or "Wayfaring Pilgrim"), Roud 3339, is a well-known American folk and gospel song likely originating in the early 19th century [1] about a plaintive soul on the journey through life. As with most folk songs, many variations of the lyrics exist, and many singers have linked the song to times of hardship and notable experiences in the their lives, such as the case with Burl Ives in his autobiography. [2]

Contents

Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. [3]

History

The origins of the song are unclear. Some have speculated that the song is a descendant of the Scottish border ballad "The Dowie Dens of Yarrow", while others have speculated it came from the German hymn "Ich bin ein Gast auf Erden" ("A Pilgrim Here I Wander"). [4] The latter was translated and printed in many English hymnals throughout the 19th century. [5]

According to the book The Makers of the Sacred Harp, by David Warren Steel and Richard H. Hulan, the lyrics were published in 1858 in Joseph Bever's Christian Songster, which was a collection of popular hymns and spiritual songs of the time. [6]

During and for several years after the American Civil War, the lyrics were known as the Libby Prison Hymn. [7] This was because the words had been inscribed by a dying Union soldier incarcerated in Libby Prison, a warehouse converted to a notorious Confederate prison in Richmond, Virginia known for its adverse conditions and high death rate. It had been believed that the dying soldier had authored the song to comfort a disabled soldier, but this was not the case since it had been published several years before the Civil War in 1858, before Libby Prison was put into service (1862). [8]

Notable versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burl Ives</span> American musician and actor (1909–1995)

Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American musician, singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ol' Man River</span> 1925 composition by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II

"Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical Show Boat with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the song in 1925. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, uncaring flow of the Mississippi River. It is sung from the point of view of a black stevedore on a showboat, and is the most famous song from the show. The song is meant to be performed in a slow tempo; it is sung complete once in the musical's lengthy first scene by the stevedore "Joe" who travels with the boat, and, in the stage version, is heard four more times in brief reprises. Joe serves as a sort of musical one-man Greek chorus, and the song, when reprised, comments on the action, as if saying, "This has happened, but the river keeps rolling on anyway."

"Ar Hyd y Nos" is a Welsh song sung to a tune that was first recorded in Edward Jones' Musical and Poetical Relics of the Welsh Bards (1784). The most commonly sung Welsh lyrics were written by John Ceiriog Hughes (1832-1887), and have been translated into several languages, including English and Breton. One of the earliest English versions, to different Welsh lyrics by one John Jones, was by Thomas Oliphant in 1862.

"I'll Fly Away" is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message. Brumley's writing was influenced by the 1924 secular ballad, "The Prisoner's Song".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man of Constant Sorrow</span> Traditional American folk song

"Man of Constant Sorrow" is a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. It was titled "Farewell Song" in a songbook by Burnett dated to around 1913. A version recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928 gave the song its current titles.

"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The song refers to the passenger train Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light."

The Wayfaring Stranger may refer to:

"I Know Where I'm Going" is a traditional Scottish ballad about a wealthy love-struck young woman pining for her "bonnie" lover Johnny who some say has a bad reputation. It has been noted since the early nineteenth century. It is Roud number 5701.

<i>The Wayfaring Stranger</i> (album) 1944 studio album by Burl Ives

The Wayfaring Stranger is an album consisting of three 10-inch, 78 rpm records by Burl Ives released on Asch in 1944. It should not be confused with Ives' 1944 album for Columbia Records (C-103) – also called The Wayfaring Stranger- and a re-release of a 1941 album on Okeh Records - containing different songs. The Asch album includes the first releases of two signature songs by Ives: "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" and "The Blue Tail Fly."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aoife O'Donovan</span> Musical artist

Aoife O'Donovan is an American singer and Grammy award-winning songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer for the string band Crooked Still and she also co-founded the Grammy Award-winning female folk trio I'm with Her. She has released three critically acclaimed studio albums: Fossils (2013), In the Magic Hour (2016), and Age of Apathy, as well as multiple noteworthy live recordings and EPs, including Blue Light (2010), Peachstone (2012), Man in a Neon Coat: Live From Cambridge (2016), In the Magic Hour: Solo Sessions (2019), and Bull Frog's Croon (2020). She also spent a decade contributing to the radio variety shows Live from Here and A Prairie Home Companion. Her first professional engagement was singing lead for the folk group The Wayfaring Strangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mama Tried (song)</span> 1968 single by Merle Haggard

"Mama Tried" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in July 1968 as the first single and title track from the album Mama Tried. The song became one of the cornerstone songs of his career. It won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999, and was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry due to its "cultural, historic, or artistic significance" on March 23, 2016, just 14 days before Haggard's death. In 2021, it was ranked at No. 376 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

"Dink's Song" is an American folk song played by many folk revival musicians such as Pete Seeger, Fred Neil, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Dave Van Ronk, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, and Cisco Houston as well as more recent musicians like Jeff Buckley. The song tells the story of a woman deserted by her lover when she needs him the most.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Leon</span> American record producer

Craig Leon is an American-born record producer, composer and arranger currently living in England. Leon was instrumental in launching the careers of many recording artists including the Ramones, Suicide, Talking Heads and Blondie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Davis Tillman</span> American singer-songwriter

Charles Davis Tillman —also known as Charlie D. Tillman, Charles Tillman, Charlie Tillman, and C. D. Tillman—was a popularizer of the gospel song. He had a knack for adopting material from eclectic sources and flowing it into the mix now known as southern gospel, becoming one of the formative influences on that genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What Wondrous Love Is This</span>

"What Wondrous Love Is This" is a Christian folk hymn from the American South. Its text was first published in 1811, during the Second Great Awakening, and its melody derived from a popular English ballad. Today it is a widely known hymn included in hymnals of many Christian denominations.

<i>The Broken Circle Breakdown</i> 2012 Belgian drama film by Felix Van Groeningen

The Broken Circle Breakdown is a 2012 Belgian drama film directed by Felix van Groeningen with a screenplay by Carl Joos and van Groeningen. It is based on the stage play of the same name by Johan Heldenbergh and Mieke Dobbels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down in the River to Pray</span> American folk hymn

"Down in the River to Pray" is a traditional American song variously described as a Christian folk hymn, an African-American spiritual, an Appalachian song, and a Southern gospel song. The exact origin of the song is unknown. The most famous version, featured in O Brother Where Art Thou?, uses a pentatonic scale, common in many African American spirituals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am a Pilgrim</span>

"I Am a Pilgrim" is a traditional Christian hymn from the United States, first documented in the mid-19th century. It forms part of the repertoire of gospel, folk, and bluegrass artists.

Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra is an internationally-touring English-language bluegrass ensemble from Oslo, Norway, who have been nominated for a Norwegian grammy, and featured as international showcase artists.

References

  1. ↑ Norman Cazden, Herbert Haufrecht, Norman Studer. Folk Songs of the Catskills. SUNY Press, 1982. 292–294. ISBN   0-87395-581-1
  2. 1 2 3 "Poor Wayfaring Stranger: What is the song used in 1917 and The Last of Us 2 soundtracks?". Smooth Radio . July 27, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  3. ↑ "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Western Writers of America. 2010. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
  4. ↑ "FolkWorld #72: The Wayfaring Stranger". www.folkworld.de. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  5. ↑ "Ich bin ein Gast auf Erden, Und hab' hier keinen Stand". Hymnary.org. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  6. ↑ Bever, Joseph (1858). The Christian songster : A collection of hymns and spiritual songs, usually sung at camp, prayer, and social meetings, and revivals of religion; designed for all denominations. Dayton, Oh. : Printed at the Printing Establishment of the United Brethren in Christ.
  7. ↑ "The Libby Prison hymn". Brown University Library. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  8. ↑ Byrne, Frank (1958). "Libby Prison: A Study in Emotions". The Journal of Southern History. 24 (4): 430–444. doi:10.2307/2954671. JSTOR   2954671.
  9. ↑ |url=https://www.amazon.com/Power-Glory-Paul-Robeson/dp/B0000027JZ|
  10. ↑ "Emmylou Harris - Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  11. ↑ "RPM Country Tracks for August 23, 1980". RPM . Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  12. ↑ "American III: Solitary Man". Rolling Stone. October 3, 2000.
  13. ↑ Rosewell, Michael (2015). The Choral Journal Vol. 55 No.8. American Choral Directors Association. p. 70.
  14. ↑ "White Stripes frontman Jack White will contribute five tracks to the "Cold Mountain" soundtrack, due Dec. 16 from DMZ/Columbia". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  15. ↑ Hayde - Wayfaring Stranger, 27 February 2015, retrieved 2024-01-19
  16. ↑ Zimmerman, Lee (2019-09-26). "Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Norway's Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra taps traditions". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  17. ↑ Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra - Wayfaring Stranger | Live at John Dee, 20 September 2019, retrieved 2024-01-23
  18. ↑ "1917 soundtrack: What is the 'Wayfaring Stranger' song in the war film?". ClassicFM. January 29, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  19. ↑ "What is the 'Wayfaring Stranger' song in the woods?". Smooth Radio. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  20. ↑ Wayfaring Stranger –The Petersens (Live), 18 November 2021, retrieved 2024-01-22
  21. ↑ "Wayfaring Stranger". LUX. Retrieved 2024-12-07.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.