The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #57033 Message #895157
Posted By: Richie
21-Feb-03 - 11:03 AM
Thread Name: Origin: I Am A Pilgrim
Subject: Origin: I Am A Pilgrim
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?