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

Get Right Church – Anonymous

What was going on with this writer, that he was looking forward to leaving for ‘home’? It wouldn’t be hard to imagine someone not appreciating his surroundings, and longing for rejuvenation with a call to “Get Right, Church”. It’s a pretty common emotional state, this unhappiness with where I am, and imagining a place – perhaps where I once was – that is recalled affectionately. Good memories push out the less attractive recollections, so that unknowingly I create a vision of home that is perfect, too perfect perhaps. It’s really a reflection of hope, this yearning for home. But, why a train to take me there? Is that merely a method for transit to this place, or does it suggest other characteristics of this trip? Is the train armored, like the one shown here? What does this train trip offer that another way of journeying does not?  

Rail transport has been on planet Earth for many centuries, though its full potential became evident in the 19^th Century, particularly during the U.S. Civil War. Moving large amounts of materiel made trains essential for effective and long-term military campaigns that needed consistent resupply.  Perhaps these facts about them were what influenced the writer, whoever he was, to include a train in three of the verses of ‘Get Right, Church’. Did he live near a train station, perhaps daily observing the habits of a train? They pick up people – ‘I’m goin’ home on the morning train…’(v.2) – or they get loaded with various cargo – ‘back, back train gotta get your load’… (v.4). Either way you imagine it, a train doesn’t leave with a single passenger or just a few pieces of cargo. Scores of people and-or thousands of pounds of materiel depart on any one train. A train might not always be on time (v. 3), but no matter when it arrives, lots of travelers and various cargo go out within that string of cars pulled by a locomotive. So this anonymous author was thinking of a crowd going in the same direction, with the same objective, the same hope. Were they struggling with their circumstances (v.1) – Get right church? Most attribution lines for this old song mention its origin as ‘traditional spiritual’, suggesting that the song’s words gestated and were born among a black, African-American culture in the South.  Many of this genre’s first collection (Slave Songs of the United States) were first published in 1867, a time when railroads were making the U.S. a continental nation. Was home somewhere far from where this author and his generation wanted to be? A train could take them all to this distant place, the motivation they needed to stay together and remain alert for its arrival.

Had the author and his people actually been to this home where they wanted to go? His habitat at the time of the song’s emergence might have been more like a penal colony, if this author was indeed from a slave culture of the South. To get right, would be to gather as a people and proceed joyfully. The destination might never have been seen before, but that didn’t stop someone like Abram from setting out from where he’d lived for so long and traveling to such a place (Canaan -- Genesis 12). I’ve never been to where I expect ‘home’ will be, probably not more than three decades from now. Can you see it, even if you’ve not been there? 

See this site for information on spirituals in music history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_(music)

 

History of rail transport here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport

Blue Skies and Rainbows – Gary Mabry

He says it was a special moment, which had been building for several days during a summer trip in 1971. Thanks to Gary Mabry being an alert believer and gifted with a music gene from above, he was in a perfect position to craft “Blue Skies and Rainbows” in just a few moments. Do you suppose Gary felt a little bit like Noah (seen here in this Joseph Anton Koch painting, circa 1803) when he saw a rainbow once? In my e:mail conversation with him recently, it was clear that this was a moment Gary won’t ever forget. And now, we have access to that moment through the song and the story he shared with me. Here’s a piece of it below in what I call a ‘fresh scoop’ of song (see some other ‘fresh scoops’ in the label-cloud for this blog, which are generally unknown stories that I’ve managed to dig up and provide here)…so thanks, and blessings Gary for what you’ve created!

He (Stanley Shipp) encouraged me to sign up to go on a Christ in Europe (trip) then next (1971) summer.  Through the financial support of people like Moses McCook, owner of Athletic Supply and my across the street neighbor on Peach Street, I was able to go.  We spent the first leg of the trip in Lisbon, Portugal.  The second part of the trip happened in Lausanne, Switzerland, culminating in a short stay in Geneva, where he had worked several years before.  The experiences of the campaign: a Gospel Meeting in Lisbon with Glenn Owen preaching in Portuguese, Bible studies and conversations on the street with youth, experiencing the universal language of music as our chorus (partially populated by a group from Lubbock Christian College), singing at the meeting each evening, leading singing in French in the Switzerland part of the trip, seeing the beauty of the Swiss Alps at a chalet owned by Highland member Jack McGlothlin had filled my head and heart and was just incubating to find a meaningful form of expression.  I had experienced Jesus being alive in people and in nature. It came on the flight back to the states.  I looked out the window and saw a rainbow on this clear day far above the earth.  I had a small notepad with me and began to jot down what I feel was an inspired few moments.  In my study of music so far, I had learned to notate rhythm and use the solfege syllables for melody.  “Blue skies and rainbows, and sunbeams from heaven are what I can see when my Lord is living in me…Jesus is well and alive today!  He makes his home in my heart.  Nevermore will I be all alone, since he promised me that we never would part.” From the time in Lausanne: “Green grass and flowers, all blooming in springtime, are works of the Master I live for each day.” From the Swiss Alps, as we slid down a meadow slope on sheets of cardboard: “Tall mountains, green valleys, the beauty that surrounds me, all make me aware of the One Who made it all.”

Keep looking for those rainbows and other ways He speaks to us in nature, everyone! Gary’s words say all that needs to be said further here today. Keep those antennae up!