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Christ Was a Weary Traveler/Christ Was a Wayworn Traveler
Traditional Gospel;
ARTIST: Will ("Shorty") Love, an African-American janitor at Trinity College and Duke University, c. 1920-24
YOUTUBE:
SHEET MUSIC:
DATE: probably 1800s; 1920-24
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
RECORDING INFO: Christ Was a Wayworn Traveler
At - They Said My Lord Was a Devil
Gunning, Sarah Ogan. Girl of Constant Sorrow, Folk Legacy FSA 026, LP (1965), trk# A.09 [1963-64]
Hawker, Ginny. Letters from My Father, Rounder 0491-2, CD (2001), trk# 3 (My Warfare Will Soon Be Ended/Over)
Freight Hoppers "Warfare" on the Freight Hoppers' "Waiting on the Gravy Train" sung by Cary Fridley.
Estil Ball. "Warfare" Rounder CD 0028 High Atmosphere.
Wade Mainer
OTHER NAMES: "My Warfare Will Soon Be Over"
RELATED TO: "Psalms of Victory" William Shackleford's Farewell Song- From Southgate
Jones, Durham, NC, May 5, 1920.
SOURCES: Mudcat; Folk index; Folk Archive: http://folkarchive.de/gunning.html
NOTES: "Christ Was a Wayworn Traveler" or "My Warfare Will Soon Be Over" is a traditional gospel song from the singing of Sarah Ogan Gunning. It's on Folk Legacy FSA 26, Girl of Constant Sorrow: Sarah Ogan Gunning. Recorded by Archie Green, who I've talked with several times doing research, Gunning learned the song from her family.
Born in the coalfields of eastern Kentucky, Gunning suffered a life of bitter poverty which became the fuel for dozens of moving songs about working people, the mines, and the great coal strikes of the twenties and thirties. In Mimi Pickering's 1988 film, Gunning's a cappella roots music is intercut throughout the interviews and archival footage.
The line, "the warfare will soon be over," is commonly found in the 1800s. Here's a quote from The Evangelical Magazine and Missionary Chronicle- 1829: "The warfare will soon be over, and then the blessed Jesus will own his poor creature for his child."
"The song probably has its roots in Camp or Revival Meetings. The Chorus really having very little relation to the verses & probably having floated around being independently attached to any number of verses is pretty characteristic. I see it's on Ginny's album for her father, but the verses don't seem Primitive Baptist to me." Burke (Mudcat)
E.C. (Estil) Ball recorded the song under the title, "Warfare," on a County recording in 1967. It was reissued on a compilation on Copper Creek CCCD-0141, E.C. Ball and Orna, "Through The Years 1937-1975". John Cohen recorded E.C. Ball and included Warfare on Rounder CD 0028 High Atmosphere. From the notes of High Atmosphere:
"In this church song, we see the problem posed by the chorded guitar as applied to the older modes of music. The guitar acts as a leveling force against the modal inclinations of this music, trying to smooth out its rough edges and craggy peaks. No wonder so few of the ballads are accompanied in any but a linear fashion. Yet Estil Ball's beautiful singing makes a charming reconciliation between these conflicting forces, while his guitar chords shift from major to minor to find a fitting accompaniment. Sarah Ogan Gunning and Wade Mainer have also recorded this song."
GIRL OF CONSTANT SORROW - C-26 liner notes: It would be difficult to over-estimate the importance of this recording, made for us by Archie Green, who is surely the nation's leading authority on the music and folklore of the labor movement in America. Sarah Gunning was the sister of the better-known Aunt Molly Jackson. They were both active in the struggle to organize the mine workers in the Kentucky coal fields, a long, bitter, and often bloody battle. As in the civil rights struggle, songs proved to be an important element in the struggle, helping to educate the workers and encouraging them to maintain their solidarity. Sarah created some of those songs, several examples of which are included here. Powerful!
CHRIST WAS A WAYWORN TRAVELER- Sarah Ogan Gunning 1963
Christ was a wayworn traveler,
He traveled from door to door.
His occupation chiefly was
Administering to the poor.
My warfare'll soon be ended,
My race is almost run.
My warfare'll soon be ended, Lord,
And then I'm going home.
They called my Lord the devil.
They called his saints the same.
But I ain't expecting any more down here
Than burden, abuse, and shame.
My warfare'll soon be ended.
My race is almost run.
My warfare'll soon be ended, Lord.
And then I'm going home.
And when I get to Heaven
I want you to be there too.
And when I say "Amen"
I want you to say so, too.
My warfare'll soon be ended,
My race is almost run.
My warfare'll soon be ended.
And then I'm going home.
God bless the Holiness people.
The Presbyterians, too.
The good old shouting Methodists,
And me praying Baptists, too.
My warfare'll soon be ended,
My race is almost run.
My warfare'll soon be ended, Lord,
And then I 'm going home.
My Warfare Will Soon Be Over- As recorded by Ginny Hawker; Has its origins in North Carolina, the original is from Wilma Milsaps
A
My Lord was a wayward pilgrim
He traveled around from door to door
His chiefest occupation
G A
Was administering to the poor.
They say my Lord had a devil
They thought his saints the same
I don't expect nothing here
But sorrow, grief and pain.
(Chorus)
A
My warfare will soon be over
My race will soon be run
My warfare will soon be over
G A
Then I'm going home.
God bless them Holiness people
And the Presbyterians too
And the good ole shouting Methodists
And the prayin' Baptists too.
And when I get to heaven
I want you to be there too
And when you hear me say "Amen"
I want to hear you say so too.
559 Christ Was a Weary Traveler- Brown Collection
With music. Words written down by Dr. Brown as sung to him by Will ("Shorty") Love, an African-American janitor at Trinity College and Duke University, c. 1920-24. Compare the last four lines with stanza 2 of 'William Shackleford's Farewell Song,' Vol. II, No. 294, p. 682.
1. Christ was a weary trav'ler,
He went from door to door;
His occupation in life,
Was a-minist'ring to the poor,
My work'll soon be ended.
My race is almost run,
Mv work'll soon be ended,
And then I'm going home.
2. Christ told his disciples,
"After I'm riz and gone.
You'll meet with many crosses,
But their abuse you'll scorn."
Ahuse me all you want to,
But I'm traveling home to God;
I'm well accquainted with crosses,
And all my ways are hard.
3. I thank God for none but the pure in heart
Before His face shall stand,
When dis ol' world shall reel about
Like a drunken man.
I'm strivin' hard and faithful,
When de trumpet shell soun'
My soul shall shout like Izral shouted
When de Jekkel walls fell down.
4. No difference whar I travel,
It's no matter whar I'll be.
There's someone always ready
To point de finger of scorn at me;
But to heaven my soul shall onward move
Like lightin' around the throne ;
My soul shall shout like Izral shouted.
5. When I get to heaven
Want you to be there too.
When I cry out "Amen"
Want you to say so too.
God bless thuh Roman Catholics
An de Presbyterians too
And dub gool old shoutin' Methodists
And de prayin' Baptists too.
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