I wonder as I wander out under the sky
how Jesus [the]1 Saviour did come for to die
for poor [ordn'ry]2 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]3 and all
[but high from the Heavens a star's light did fall]4
[and a promise of ages it then did recall]5

If Jesus had wanted [for]6 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]7 he was the King!

View original text (without footnotes)

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.

¹ Berio, Britten: "our"
² Britten: "or’n’ry"; Rutter: "ornery"
³ Britten: "shepherds and farmers"
⁴ Britten: "On high from God’s heaven the star’s light did fall,"
⁵ Berio: "the promise of ages it then did recall."; Britten: "And the promise of the ages it did then recall." ; omitted by Rutter
⁶ Berio: "of"
⁷ Berio: "could have had it 'cause"; Britten: "could've had it for"

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]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Luciano Berio (1925 - 2003), "I wonder as I wander", 1964, from Folk Songs, no. 2, note: arranged for Cathy Berberian  [sung text checked 1 time]
• by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "I wonder as I wander", published 1934 [ voice and piano ], in Songs of the Hill Folk [sung text checked 1 time]
• by George Crumb (1929 - 2022), "I wonder as I wander", 2006 [ male voice, female voice, amplified piano, and percussion ], from Voices from a Forgotten World: American Songbook V, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Jake Heggie (b. 1961), "I wonder as I wander", 1996, first performed 1996 [ mezzo-soprano and strings ], from On the Road to Christmas, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
• by John Jacob Niles (1892 - 1980), "I wonder as I wander" [ unaccompanied voice ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by John Milford Rutter, CBE (b. 1945), "I wonder as I wander" [ chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Je m'émerveille en marchant", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Je m'interroge en me promenant", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

Je m'interroge en me promenant sous le ciel,
Comment Jésus, notre Sauveur, est venu pour mourir
Pour de pauvres gens ordinaires, comme vous et moi.
Je m'interroge en me promenant sous le ciel,

Qaund Marie a donné naissance à Jésus, c'était dans une étable,
Avec des savants et des bergers et des fermiers et tous.
En haut du ciel de Dieu la lumière de l'étoile est tombée,
Et la promesse des temsp anciens a alors été rappelée.

Si Jésus avait voulu la moindre petite chose,
Une étoile dans le ciel, ou un oiseau sur l'aile ;
Ou tous les anges de Dieu dans le ciel pour chanter,
Il aurait sûrement pu l'avoir car il était le Roi !