Pilgrim Song – Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Pilgrims are synonymous with the Thanksgiving holiday! And so, our Thanksgiving countdown playlist would not be complete without a song about Pilgrims. A pilgrim (from the Latin peregrinus) is a traveler – “one who has come from afar” – on a  journey to a holy place, or, a location of great religious significance. Typically, pilgrimage is a physical journey (usually taken on foot), but a pilgrimage can also be a symbolic experience of our journey through life. American history was founded by a group of religious pilgrims seeking their own “holy place” who traveled from afar and landed at Plymouth.

Today I’m sharing my favorite arrangement of the American folk hymn “Pilgrim Song” by Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s Associate Conductor Ryan Murphy. The inspiring lyrics of this folk hymn (see below) are sweetly accentuated by piano, harp and flute, combined with full orchestration which never overpowers the message.

The song expresses the pilgrim’s longing for reaching the “destination”.

My soul doth long to go where I may fully know
The glory of my Savior;

It also expresses joy in the journey

My soul now sits and sings and practices its wings,

The song is a declaration of faith in our Savior, and the assurance we each have that we will all “live forever”. Enjoy! – MoSop

This recording aired on the  July 22, 2012 broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word, episode 4323. “Pilgrim Song” is found on the album “Glory! Music of Rejoicing“.

PILGRIM SONG – LYRICS

My brethren, I have found
a land that doth abound
with fruit as sweet as honey;
The more I eat, I find,
The more I am inclined
To shout and sing hosanna.

Chorus:
My soul doth long to go where I may fully know
The glory of my Savior;
And as I pass along I’ll sing the Christian song,
I’m going to live forever.

Perhaps you think me wild,
or simple as a child;
I am a child of glory;
I am born from above,
my soul is filled with love;
I love to tell the story.

Chorus
My soul now sits and sings
and practices its wings,
and contemplates the hour
When the messenger shall say,
‘Come quit this house of clay,
and with bright angels tower.’

Chorus
And as I pass along
I’ll sing the Christian song,
I’m going to live forever.

Forever.

(Pilgrim Song, arranged and adapted by Ryan Murphy)