I wonder as I wander out under the sky how Jesus the Saviour did come for to die for poor ordn'ry people like you and like I I wonder as I wander out under the sky when Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow stall with wise men and farmers and shepherds and all but high from the Heavens a star's light did fall and a promise of ages it then did recall If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing A star in the sky or a bird on the wing; Or all of God's angels in Heav'n for to sing, He surely could have it 'cause he was the King!
Note provided by Jeroen Scholten: This text is often described as an Appalachian carol transcribed by Niles, but he did more than transcribe it according to The Songs of John Jacob Niles: New Edition Containing Eight Additional Songs, with a Preface by John Jacob Niles, New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1993. From Niles's preface, dated 1975: "Suffice it to say that I wrote it in 1933, based on a fragment I overheard in the courthouse square in Murphy, N.C." (Thanks to Rufus Browning for the information). See also I Wonder as I Wander: The Life of John Jacob Niles by Ron Pen, University Press of Kentucky, 2010, pages 154-155, for a description of the development of the text.
Text Authorship:
- by John Jacob Niles (1892 - 1980), "I wonder as I wander", written 1933 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
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Researcher for this page: Jeroen Scholten
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 119