Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the gospel song. For recordings of the song, see Just a Closer Walk with Thee (disambiguation).
Instrumental New Orleans jazz version by Bunk Johnson

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee" is a traditional

2 Corinthians 5:7 which states, "We walk by faith, not by sight"[1] and James 4:8, "Come near to God and He will come near to you."[2]

History

The precise author of "A Closer Walk" is unknown. Circumstantial evidence strongly suggested it dated back to southern

African-American churches of the nineteenth century, possibly even prior to the Civil War, as some personal African American histories recall "slaves singing as they worked in the fields a song about walking by the Lord's side."[3]
Horace Boyer cites a story that repudiates this claim, stating:

On a train trip from Kansas City to Chicago, composer Kenneth Morris exited the train on one of its stops to get some fresh air and heard one of the station porters singing a song. He paid little attention at first, but after he re-boarded the train the song remained with him and became so prominent in his mind that at the next stop, he left the train, took another train back to the earlier station, and asked the porter to sing the song again. Morris wrote down the words and music and published the song “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” that year, 1940, adding a few lyrics of his own to provide more breadth. Within two years the song became a standard in gospel music, eventually becoming a standard in Jazz, and then moving into the realm of American folk music, known and sung by many.”[4]

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee"
Kansas City and then brought it to Morris' attention.[7] Morris added some new lyrics and a choral arrangement.[7] In the 1940s, a boom of recordings recorded the number in many genres, ranging from Southern gospel to jazz and brass bands
.

The first known recording was by the

Decca 8594), with Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra.[9]

The revived interest in

traditional New Orleans jazz resulted in multiple recordings of the number, including a 1945 session by Bunk Johnson
's Brass Band featuring numbers Johnson had played in New Orleans before he left in 1915.

In 1950, it was a million-seller for Red Foley.

In 1958, an unreleased home recording was recorded by Elvis Presley,[10] made in Waco, Texas, on May 27.[11] Presley's studio version can be heard on Just a Closer Walk with Thee (2000) (Czech CD on Memory label).[12] Tennessee Ernie Ford made the charts with it in the late 1950s. By the end of the 1970s, more than a hundred artists had recorded the song.

Lyrics

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

I am weak, but Thou art strong,
Jesus, keep me from all wrong,
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more,
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom's shore, to Thy shore.

Notable recordings

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee" has been recorded by numerous artists, including:

  • Tumbleweed, performed for the album Band Wagon by Classic Hymns at Chennai (2011)


See also

References

  1. ^ "Just a Closer Walk with Thee | Details". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  2. ISBN 978-0687090549
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 9780310864493
    .
  4. ISBN 0252068777
    .
  5. ^ Kirkpatrick, W. McDonald, Joshua Gill, J. R. Sweney, W. J. (1885). Songs Of Joy And Gladness.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Your Top 10 Winners of the Wonders of Atchison County People". Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Encyclopedia of African American Music, Volume 3 (ABC-CLIO), pg. 83
  8. ISBN 0-19-816239-1
  9. ^ Dixon, Robert M. W. Blues and Gospel Records: 1890-1943, page 912
  10. ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2014-06-28. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  11. ISBN 0-595-29505-3
  12. ^ "Bands and Artists: P: Presley, Elvis: Discography: Just A Closer Walk With Thee". MusicMoz. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  13. ^ "Echos of New Orleans, Vol. 1 - George Lewis | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. 1943-05-16. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  14. ^ Dick Monda, Truth, Lies, Magic, and Faith Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  15. ^ "Just A Closer Walk With Thee (trad.)". Bobdylanroots.com. 1969-02-18. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  16. ^ Gann, Kyle (1985-01-21). "Canadian Brass A Bold Mixture Of Music, Humor". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
  17. ^ "Just a Closer Walk with Thee". Spotify. 23 November 2012.
  18. ^ "The Hillbilly Thomists".
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