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All Is Well/Come Come Ye Saints
Traditional Old-Time, Shape-note Gospel; Tune: J. T. White 1844, Lyrics: Anon, Lyrics: Come Come Ye Saints by William Clayton 1846
ARTIST: Tune: J. T. White- Sacred Harp 1844; Lyrics: Anon; Lyrics: Come Come Ye Saints by William Clayton 1846
http://greg.org/archive/2009/01/24/come_come_ye_saints.html
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
DATE: 1867 (Lowry); First Recorded in 1930 by Lee Wells and his Jasper Alabama Sacred Harp Singers
RECORDING INFO: All Is Well [Me III-D 80]
Mf - Come, Come Ye Saints
Jackson, George P.(ed.) / Spiritual Folk Songs of Early America, Dover, Sof (1964/1937), p 90/# 58
Hazen, Celeste. Flanders, Helen H. & George Brown / Vermont Folk Songs and Ballads, Folklore Associates, Bk (1968/1931), p 78 [1930]
OTHER NAMES: "Come, Come Ye Saints,"
SOURCES: Folk Index; Meade
NOTES: All is Well is a Shape-note gospel song with the tune appearing in the Sacred Harp by J. T. White 1844, with traditional lyrics. It also appers in the American Vocalist, 1848 with tune arranged by D. H. Mansfield Meter: P.M.
ALL IS WELL- J. T. White 1844
1. What's this that steals upon my frame,
Is it death? Is it death?
That soon will quench this vital flame,
Is it death? Is it death?
If this be death, I soon shall be
From ev'ry pain and sorrow free.
I shall the King of Glory see.
All is well. All is well.
2. Weep not my friends, weep not for me,
All is well, all is well!
My sins are pardon'd, I am free,
All is well, all is well!
There's not a cloud that doth arise,
To hide my Saviour from my eyes.
I soon shall mount the upper skies.
All is well. All is well.
3. Tune, tune your harps ye saints in glory.
All is well, all is well!
I will rehearse the pleasing story.
All is well, all is well!
Bright angels are from glory come,
They're round my bed, they're in my room,
They wait to waft my spirit home.
All is well. All is well.
4. Hark! hark! my Lord, my Lord and Master's voice,
Calls away, Calls away!
I soon shall see--enjoy my happy choice,
Why delay, Why delay!
Farewell, my friends, adieu, adieu,
I can no longer stay with you,
My glittering crown appears in view,
All is well! All is well!
5. Hail! hail! all hail! all hail! ye blood washed throng,
Saved by grace, Saved by grace--
I come to join your rapturous song,
Saved by grace, Saved by grace.
All, all is peace and joy divine,
And heaven and glory now are mine.
Loud hallelujahs to the Lamb!
All is well! All is well!
Begone Dull Care seems to be English folk song that All Is Well is reportly based on:
BEGONE DULL CARE- Derived from "The Queen's Jig"
Begone, dull care!
I prithee begone from me;
Begone, dull care!
Thou and I can never agree.
Long while thou hast been tarrying here,
And fain thou wouldst me kill;
But i' faith, dull care,
Thou never shalt have thy will.
Too much care
Will make a young man grey;
Too much care
Will turn an old man to clay.
My wife shall dance, and I shall sing,
So merrily pass the day;
For I hold it is the wisest thing,
To drive dull care away.
Hence, dull care,
I'll none of thy company;
Hence, dull care,
Thou art no pair for me.
We'll hunt the wild boar through the wold,
So merrily pass the day;
And then at night, o'er a cheerful bowl,
We'll drive dull care away.
The earliest version of All Is Well ("What's this that steals upon my frame") is William B. Bradbury and Charles W. Sanders, The Young Choir, Adapted to the Use of Juvenile Singing Schools, Sabbath Schools, Primary Classes, &c. (New York: Dayton and Saxton, 1841, pp. 84-85), which may have been the source of the Mormon version below:
Come, Come, Ye Saints
"Come, Come, Ye Saints" (originally "All is Well") is one of the best-known Latter-day Saint hymns. The lyrics were written in 1846 by Mormon poet William Clayton at Locust Creek, in Wayne County, Io. The hymn has been called the anthem of the nineteenth-century Mormon pioneers.
Clayton wrote the hymn "All is Well" on April 15, 1846, as his Mormon pioneer caravan rested at Locust Creek, Iowa, over 100 miles west of their origin city of Nauvoo, Illinois. Just prior to writing the lyrics, Clayton had received word that his wife Diantha had given birth to a healthy boy in Nauvoo.
The hymn was renamed "Come, Come, Ye Saints" and is hymn #30 in the current LDS Church hymnal. (A men's arrangement of the hymn is #326 of the same hymnal.) "Come, Come, Ye Saints" features prominently in celebrations of Pioneer Day in Utah and in performances of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
The hymn also appears in a Protestant hymnal, the United Church of Christ's New Century Hymnal, with alternate lyrics for the LDS-oriented third verse created by lyricist Avis B. Christianson.Another version by Joseph F. Green is contained in the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal.
The Hymn Come, Come Ye Saints: A Brief History of When and Why this Hymn Was Written; Aug 4, 2008 Shawn Landis
The song set to the tune of an English folk song has been adopted by Mormons as the way that they choose to sing about themselves. The task of compiling a Mormon hymnal had been completed many years before the hymn that would become the signature Mormon anthem was written. The haunting strains of the hymn can often be heard in an LDS chapel on Sundays, and a rock version was featured in the independent Mormon-themed movie, Singles Ward.
William Clayton, who served as clerk for Joseph Smith, said that it was composed at the Locust Creek camp, but the exact Mormon encampment on Locust Creek is unknown. Possible locations for the Missouri Creek encampment could have been located in Missouri or it could have been located in Iowa.
The Composition of Come, Come Ye Saints
William Clayton was an early convert to the Restorationist movement. He served the church by doing clerical work for most of his membership, but he also wrote a variety of hymns. (His name would also be relevant when the forger Mark Hoffman claimed to have found letters written by him.) His role as a clerk is not remembered, but he is remembered for his contribution to the lexicon of Mormon hymns.
According to LDS Living Magazine, Clayton suffered from a desire to be reunited with his fourth wife, Diantha Farr before writing the hymn that would become on the most popular pieces of music for Mormons. The event the sparked the writing of the hymn was a letter he received of the birth of his son, although his wife reported that the child was sick. Many people believe that Brigham Young commissioned Clayton to write the hymn, but LDS Living Magazine states that there is no proof for this assertion.
All Is Well – The Chorus of Come, Come Ye Saints
The hymn that would become the Mormon anthem was set to the melody of the English folk song, All is Well. The people crossing the Mormon trail would sing it as a marching song and it continues to be one of the favorite pieces of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Over one hundred fifty years have passed since the Come, Come Ye Saints was written, and it shows no signs of losing its popularity.
COME, COME, YE SAINTS William Clayton (1814-1879) 1846
“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11
Music: From the Sacred Harp, by Jesse T. White, 1844
Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labor fear;
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
Tis better far for us to strive our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell -
All is well! All is well!
Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
'Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward if we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we'll have this tale to tell-
All is well! All is well!
We'll find the place which God for us prepared,
Far away, in the West,
Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;
There the saints, will be blessed.
We'll make the air, with music ring, Shout praises to our God and King;
Above the rest these words we'll tell -
All is well! All is well!
And should we die before our journey's through,
Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again to see the Saints their rest obtain,
Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell-
All is well! All is well!
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