Wayfaring Stranger

“Wayfaring Stranger” is a traditional gospel song first recorded in the 1800s, with roots that likely stretch back to an old German hymn from 1666 (“Ich bin ein Gast auf Erden” by Johann Georg Ebeling and Paul Gerhardt).

This is the words and chords to “Wayfaring Stranger” as we do it, for example in this video.

Wayfaring Stranger

Refrain: Am G Am — / Dm E(7) Am —
I’m only going over Jordan
I’m only going over home

1. I’m just a poor wayfaring stranger
   A-travelling through this world of woe
   But there’s no sickness, toil, nor danger
   In that bright land to which I go
   I’m going there to see my father
   I’m going there no more to roamVerses:
   Am G Am — / Dm — Am E7 / 1st / Dm E(7) Am —
   F — C — / F — — E7 [pause]
2. I know dark clouds will gather round me
   I know my way is rough and steep
   But beauteous fields lie just beyond me
   Where the redeemed their vigil keep
   I’m going there to see my sister
   She said she’ll meet me when I come
3. I want to wear that crown of glory
   When I get home to that bright land
   I want to shout salvation’s story
   In concert with that blood-washed band
   I’m going there to see my children
   They’ve gone before me, one by one

Chords Symbols

Here’s some help deciphering our chord shorthand:

/
A slash divides the chords for one line of lyrics from the next.

—
A dash means repeat the previous chord.

C FG
For an example of a ‘squeeze chord’ like this, you would play the F & G  chords in the same amount of time you would play the C. This is a proportional way of indicating the rhythm of chord changes.

”
A quotation mark means repeat the chords from the previous line

1st, 2nd, etc.
Play the chords from the 1st, 2nd, etc., line

Here’s more details and examples, if this isn’t making a lot of sense to you.