For the record, here is the version from American Ballads & Folk Songs by John & Alan Lomax (1934), page 564:
PARTING FRIENDS
Farewell, my friends, I'm bound for Canaan,
I'm trav'ling through the wilderness,
Your company has been delightful,
You, who doth leave my mind distressed.
I go away, behind to leave you,
Perhaps never to meet again;
But if we never have this pleasure,
I hope we'll meet on Canaan's land.
Notes from Lomax: From Professor George Pullen Jackson's White Spirituals of the Southern Uplands: "Under the title 'Parting Friends,' McCurry (editor of the Social Harp) gives the following song with the note: 'The Author, when eight years old, learned the air of this tune from Mrs. Catharine Penn.' That was, therefore, in the year 1829.'"
To confuse things a bit, Lomax has two slightly different versions of the lyrics. The music notation from Lomax has the lyrics above. The separate lyrics that follow have "But if we ever have the pleasure," which makes less sense to me; and the meeting is on Canaan's shore. Also, as 999 pointed out, Lomax misidentifies the source, which should be White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands.
Click to play
Click here for a very nice YouTube recording by the "Word of Mouth Chorus."
Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:
Farewell My Friends (Parting Friends; I'm Bound for Canaan)
DESCRIPTION: "Farewell, my friends, I'm bound for Canaan, I'm trav'ling through the wilderness. Your company has been delightful... I go away behind to leave you, Perhaps never to meet again, But if we (n)ever have the pleasure, I hope we'll meet on Canaan's (shore)"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1933 (Jackson)
KEYWORDS: religious separation nonballad friend
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 564-565, "Parting Friends" (1 text, 1 tune)
Thomas-Makin', p. 170, "Farewell to Carter County" (1 short text, possibly this piece though with only three stanzas it is hard to tell)
Roud #15559
NOTES: The Sacred Harp contains a piece called "Parting Friend," and two entitled "Parting Friends." None is the same as this piece. One of them is the same as the piece indexed as "Our Cheerful Voices (Separation).". - RBW
File: LxA564Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song ListGo to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or DiscographyThe Ballad Index Copyright 2014 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.
Roud has only one entry - the version in Lomax.