Wayfaring Stranger - SSCC Praise Band

Special thanks to Adam from Denver on lead guitar! 🎸

The Wayfaring Stranger is an American folk song with an uncertain origin. The song's various versions share a common theme of a traveler's perspective and reflect religious notions about life as a challenging spiritual journey. The melody was first documented by musicologists in the early 19th century while the lyrics were published in mid-century sources. The modern version of the melody and lyrics took shape only in the 20th century.
In 1929, Vaughan's Texas Quartet made the first commercial audio recording of The Wayfaring Stranger. However, it was not until two years later when Burl Ives recorded his version of the song that gained widespread popularity and became his signature radio show theme.
Over the years, the song has been covered by many artists including notable names such as Peter Seeger, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Bill Monroe, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Eva Cassidy, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Alison Krauss, Ed Sheeran, and Jack White.