The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #8677   Message #160259
Posted By: Sandy Paton
09-Jan-00 - 03:21 AM
Thread Name: Origin: To Canaan's Land I'm on My Way
Subject: Parting Friends & Canaan's Land
Caroline and I learned the "Farewell, my friends, I'm bound for Canaan" from friends at the Indian Neck gathering. I see you've located the version in the Sacred Harp Online (fasola) web site. I know of no other. In my 1960 copy of Original Sacred Harp (also in the 1966 edition) "Parting Friends" (p. 521) is an entirely different song. Two observations: Caroline prefers to sing the second line of the song as "You who leave my heart at rest." She doesn't like the "distressed" in the original. Also, to extend the song, she likes to borrow at least one of the verses from "Watfaring Stranger" which scans nicely to the tune:
I know dark clouds will gather 'round me;
I know my way is rough and steep.
But beauteous field lie just beyond me,
Where souls redeemed their vigil keep.
You're welcome to do what you will with these two non-traditional changes. The "Vance Song" mentioned in the thread seems unrelated except in that it is a "goodnight" that offers a similar farewell in those later verses.