I am trying to find out the origin of the words to "I Am A Pilgrim" the Merel Travis- Doc Watson version. It's in the DT.


Here's some background info from the DT. This song is entwined with "Poor Wayfaring Stanger" which appears in the Sacred Harp- 1844.

"I'm a Pilgrim" appears in The Southern Zion's Songster, No. 45 on p. 43, , Raleigh, NC. in 1864 and in "Hymns For the Camp," 1862 and begins: "I'm a pilgrim and I'm a stranger/I can tarry but a night/" This hymn seems to have been a favorite in the South during the War Between the States. Here's the frist verse:


I'M A PILGRIM- 1862 version

I'm a pilgrim and I'm a stranger,
I can tarry but a night.
Do not detain me, for I am going
To where the rivers are ever flowing.

Where did the Merle Travis versin come from? Is it copyrighted? Are there other versions with similar lyrics?

-Richie