I wonder as I wander | I wonder as I wander out under the sky

by John Jacob Niles (1892 - 1980)

I wonder as I wander

Language: English

Our translations: FRE FRE

I wonder as I wander out under the sky
how Jesus our Saviour did come for to die
for poor or’n’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 shepherds and farmers and all
On high from God’s heaven the star’s light did fall,
And the promise of the ages it did then 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've had it for 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.

Composition:

(Edward) Benjamin Britten

Songs of the Hill Folk

Text Authorship:

by John Jacob Niles (1892 - 1980), "I wonder as I wander", written 1933

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this page: Jeroen Scholten

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 112