I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger – Anonymous

Does death frighten the mortal? Whoever wrote the American folk hymn “I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger” might have answered ‘no’, but not without some hesitation. A plaintive tone in the music this anonymous songwriter paired with the words he wrote suggest he did not look ahead to his reward without some sense of discomfort. Like the vagabond tramp (see the Russel-Morgan 1899 picture here), I can acknowledge that my terrestrial existence has valleys, but that’s not where I’ll abide. My ultimate home is not in a pit. Can you cry out, yet rejoice at the same time? An impossibility, you might say skeptically, but this wayfarer discovered and hoped that this apparent contradiction was in fact true. Did he maybe have a near-death experience that permitted a glimpse of the other side, or had he heard the deathbed words of others (like Stephen, Acts 7:55-56) who confidently drew near their crossover? Whatever the case, this traveler says my expiration’s certainty will have a poignant, yet not a morbid, quality.     

Life here is often distressing, but folk music like what the poor wayfaring stranger sings tell me that it won’t always be that way. It’s written in a minor key, but its impact has been anything but minor. Originating in perhaps the early 19^th Century, “…Poor Wayfaring Stranger” has been one of the more popular folk songs ever written (it was voted into the top 100 western songs by the Western Writers of America in 2010), and has been recorded by numerous artists. What makes it so well-liked? The author included such downbeat phrases as ‘world of woe’ (v.1), ‘dark clouds’ and ‘rough and steep’ paths (v.2), and ‘trial’ (v.3), yet he did not end his verses with those words. Instead, he concludes each of his three verses on upbeat notes – a ‘bright world’ (v.1) that is his destination. Nevertheless, who’s ever lived that hasn’t had at least a few low spots? The words of this traveler resonate an authentic message, not rose-colored images that fade with time. We earth-dwellers have seen too many folks pass on to accept that death will be something less than intimidating, were it not for what we can look beyond to give us energy for the finish-line push. This traveler had evidently already lived a number of years, perhaps most of his life in what some might describe as a ‘downward slide’. But, that trend did not discourage him; was that because he was closer to the end by the time he wrote this, and could see the mountaintop view approaching? He doesn’t yearn for better days before his demise. Instead, the lift he expects will come emerges only after hurdling the biggest hump of all – death. This prospect does not overwhelm him, we can surmise by noticing one word he repeats in the refrain. ‘Only’, he says twice -- ‘Only going over Jordan, only going over [toward] home’. Don’t be overpowered by death’s clench. Look not in its face, but into the face of your ‘Father’ (v.1), your ‘mother’ (v.2), and a Savior (v.3) who are standing on the other side, waving at and urging you forward.

Does the wayfarer’s approach to death help? Is it really an ‘only’ affair for you or me? Like that Byrds’ song, there is a time for everything, ‘to be born’ and ‘to die’ (Ecclesiastes 3:2). The wayfarer is trying to let me, one who is dying, down easy. Other authors describe it as sleep (Paul, 1 Cor. 15:6; 1 Thess. 4:13), or say we’re destined for this ‘appointment’ (Hebrews 9:27). You probably wear a watch routinely, if you care about being on time for that dentist or doctor’s appointment. No big deal, right? But, unlike my scheduled appointments here, I don’t think I’ll be able to skip my appointment up above (Psalm 75:2).               

See this link for all the verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/a/m/a/iamapoor.htm

See this link for information on the song: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wayfaring_Stranger_(song)

See this link for discussion of this genre of music: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_folk_music