"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 versions of this song have been published over time by popular singers, often being linked to times of hardship and notable experiences in the singers' lives, such as the case with Burl Ives' autobiography.[2]
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.[3]
The melody was composed by Johann Georg Ebeling and lyrics written by Paul Gerhardt in 1666 in Germany as "Ich bin ein Gast auf Erden". The song is based on Psalm 39:12 and Psalm 119:19 [4][5] Both lyrics and melody are close to the modern English version.[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]
It became one of Burl Ives' signature songs, included on his 1944 album The Wayfaring Stranger. Ives used it as the title of his early 1940s CBS radio show and his 1948 autobiography.[2]
Paul Robeson performed this song in his acclaimed 1945 and 1947 New York concerts. The son of a slave, Robeson performed the selection in a style reminiscent of the "Negro spirituals" of the 19th Century. The recording is featured with many other spirituals in the "Power and the Glory" collection.[10]
The song, referred to as "I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger", was featured in the 2019 World War I drama 1917.[19] It was performed by actor and singer Jos Slovick. In February 2020, a Change.org petition collected over 2,500 signatures to urge film producers, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures to release a full studio version of Slovick's performance.[20] The studio version was published in March 2020.
Bluegrass family band, The Petersens, released a live performance recording of The Wayfaring Stranger in November 2021, garnering over 1.2 million views on Youtube, and included the song on their album, Live Sessions, Vol. 4.[21]
The Longest Johns in 2022 released a cover of the song as a part of their Smoke & Oakum album, and released an alternate recording version for their Made of Ale live sessions.
^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.
