Was he
the only composer who ever wrote hymns while incarcerated? It seems like an
intriguing question, one worth seeking to answer, and William Matthew Golden
was certainly uncommon in his position in life to be declaring “To Canaan’s
Land I’m On My Way”. He might have been excused if he had written some downbeat,
blues ditty about injustice and some emotional anguish tormenting his soul, but
yet he did something quite different. He looked forward expectantly, rather
than backward with remorse. Perhaps it was therapeutic for William to write and
look to the future, not just his earthly future beyond some Mississippi prison
walls, but to a place and time when his life stains accrued by wrongdoing would
no longer color his reputation. Might he have been singing these words about
Canaan while in a field of physical labor (perhaps not unlike this scene from
1911 in Mississippi’s Parchman Penitentiary)?
William
Matthew Golden reportedly served an eight-year stretch in state prison,
probably in Mississippi, since that is where he was born (in 1878) and died (in
1934). Parchman Penitentiary was operating in the years during which Golden
reportedly wrote his hymns (a few dozen) in the second decade of the 20th
Century, a time when the composer was in his mid-30s. His crime is unknown, and
may be assumed to have been among the less severe, since his sentence was
relatively brief. Nevertheless, any time locked up near other convicts, whose
offenses may have made his own seem tame by comparison, could harden anyone.
Yet, William doesn’t sound calloused in his poetry. He must have had more than
one ‘dark(est) night’ (verse 1) in prison, but those two words are the only clear
hint he gives of his existence at that moment. Instead, ‘soul (of man) never
dies’ is a constant refrain this prisoner draws upon, maybe to remind himself
that a life of imprisonment would ultimately evolve into eternal bliss. Could
he also have been pondering the death of his only child earlier in life, and eagerly
awaiting a miraculous reunion, as he sat in confinement? Did he miss earthly
beauty, like flowers, while in detainment? He visualized a ‘rose blooming’
especially for himself in the afterlife (v. 2). Another prevailing characteristic
of prison is the separation from loved ones who are still living, something
that certainly must have gnawed at William; he notes ‘no sad farewells’
(refrain), ‘the shores of home’ (v.3), and ‘no parting hand’ (v. 5) were all prospects
he could foresee in the hereafter. Whether Golden (originally spelled Golding)
shared his thoughts with other prisoners, or was prompted by a prison chaplain
or other authority to pen his thoughts, is unknown. Likewise, while his hymn-writing
habit is a window into his outlook, whether this pastime earned him credit with
his keepers or garnered him an early release remains a mystery.
William
Golden’s two most prominent traits stand in stark contrast to each other. He
was a criminal, and yet he composed beautiful hymns, a fact that relates a most
startling piece of information. I’m not too far from doing something decent,
even while in the midst of punishment. There’s plenty that’s disgraceful in my deeds,
but the seed of recovery sprouts even as I suffer the chastising rod of justice.
How is this possible? Maybe the best answer is another question. Do you think
He has had some experience with this duality in His creation before you and me?
A mistake always precedes revival in His courtroom.
You can
see all five original verses here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/t/o/c/tocanaan.htm
Some
very brief information about the composer is here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/g/o/l/golden_wm.htm
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