Pioneer Day 2014 Songfest Special

The anthem of the Mormon pioneers, in the spirit of Pioneer Day

In the spirit of Pioneer Day, we'll embed this visually dramatized version of "Come, Come, Ye Saints" (originally "All is Well"), sometimes considered to be the anthem of the Mormon pioneers.



This hymn was written by William Clayton on April 15, 1846, as his Mormon pioneer caravan rested at Locust Creek, Iowa, over 100 miles west of its origin city of Nauvoo, Illinois.

This song has special meaning for your blogmeister and his family, folks, inasmuch as just prior to writing the lyrics, Clayton had received word that his wife, Diantha Farr Clayton, the sister of your blogmeister's great-great grandfather, Lorin Farr, had given birth to a healthy boy in Nauvoo, about which event Clayton stated in his journal that he "...composed a new song—'All is well.' I feel to thank my heavenly father for my boy and pray that he will spare and preserve his life and that of his mother and so order it so that we may soon meet again."

As an added bonus, we'll reprise another version of this stirring and uplifting hymn, performed by Texas gee-tar virtuoso Mark Patrick Abernathy. This version's our personal favorite; and frankly, we can't get enough of it:



Here are the lyrics, for those musically-inclined readers who might be compelled to sing (or strum ) along.

(And yes, long-time WCF readers with functioning memories, this is something of a re-run).

So which rendition do you prefer, O Gentle Ones?

You be the judge.

And have a safe and sane holiday, folks, whether you're celebrating this day as traditional Pioneer Day, or the more recently trendy Pie N' Beer Day.