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 the Saviour did come for to die
for poor ornery 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
 ... 

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.

Composition:

John Milford Rutter, CBE

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