Annotation:Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief

Back to Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief

---

POOR WAYFARING MAN OF GRIEF. AKA - "Man of Grief." American, Hymn and Waltz (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" (originally titled "The Stranger and His Friend") is a seven-stanza poem written in 1826 by James Montgomery. It was set as a hymn in England, where it was included in the Latter Day Saints' Manchester Hymnal, used in England from 1840 to 1912. The hymn was brought back to the United States in the mid-19th century, and was a favorite hymn of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. However, new music was composed for it by Ebenezer Beesley in 1889, and the new tune is the one that is published today in hymnals. The original tune was lost for many years but was found in 2008 by a descendant of Beesley's in an old notebook. It has since been published [1].

A poor, wayfaring Man of grief
Hath often crossed me on my way,
Who sued so humbly for relief
That I could never answer nay.
I had not pow’r to ask his name,
Whereto he went, or whence he came;
Yet there was something in his eye
That won my love; I knew not why.

There have also been other tunes used for the hymn:

X:1
T:Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, A
C:Rev. George Coles (1792-1858)
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:Hymn
N:Published in Philadelphia by Oliver Ditson, 1883
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:A
E2|A2c2c2A2|B2d2d2B2|c2A2G2A2|B2E2E2E2|
A2c2c2A2|B2d2d2B2|c2A2 Bc dB|A2G2 A4||
z4c4|e2c2c2e2|d2B2B2d2|c2A2G2A2|B2E2E2E2|
A2c2c2A2|B2d2d2B2|c2A2 Bc dB|A2G2 A4||

X:1
T:Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, A
C:Rev. George Coles (1792-1858)
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Hymn
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:Ab
E/D/CE AAG|A B2 BBc|d c2 AAG|A B2 E E2|
D/C/CE AAG|A B2 BBc|d c2 ded|cBA B A2||
c/d/e2 eed|c d2 ddc|B c2 AAG|A B2 E E2|
E/D/CE AAG|A B2 BBc|d c2 ded|cBA B A2||

X:1
T:Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, A
C:Jams Montgomery with words by Rev. George Coles (1792-1858)
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Hymn
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:G
(D/C/)|(B,D)G (GF)G|A2A (AB)c|B2G (GF)G|A2 D D2 (D/C/)|
(B,D)G (GF)G|A2A (AB)c|B2c (dc)B|(AG)A G2 (B/c/)||
d2d (dc)B|c2c (cB)A|B2G (GF)G|A2D D2(D/C/)|
(B,D)G (GF)G|A2A (AB)c|B2c (dc)B|(AG)A G3||

Source for notated version: Skip Gorman with the Deseret String Band [Phillips].

Printed sources: Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 2), 1995; p. 297.

Recorded sources: Okehdokee Records, Deseret String Band - "Land of Milk and Honey" (1985). Deseret String Band - "Utah: Songs of Statehood" (1990).

---