Come to the Church in the Wildwood
"'Come to the Church in the Wildwood' is an American spiritual, written about an actual church around the middle of the 19th century. It is also considered a bluegrass song, but has been printed in hymnals and sung by the Mormon Tabernacle in Utah." –Nathan Wood
Come to the Church in the Wildwood
Spiritual
There's a church in the valley by the wildwood,
No lovelier spot in the dale;
No place is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale.
Chorus:
Come to the church in the wildwood,
Oh, come to the church in the vale;
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale.
Oh, come to the church in the wildwood,
To the trees where the wild flowers bloom;
Where the parting hymn will be chanted,
We will weep by the side of the tomb.
(Chorus)
How sweet on a clear Sunday morning,
To list to the clear ringing bell;
Its tones so sweetly are calling,
Oh, come to the church in the vale.
(Chorus)
From the church in the valley by the wildwood,
When day fades away into night,
I would fain from this spot of my childhood
Wing my way to the mansions of light.
(Chorus)
Notes
"In some versions, before the chorus, one half of the congregation will sing, 'Oh, come, come, come ...' and the other half with sing the chorus beginning on the fourth come, using the string of comes as a beat." –Nathan Wood
"'The Church in the Wildwood' is a song that was written by Dr. William S. Pitts in 1857 following a coach ride that stopped in Bradford, Iowa. It is a song about a church in a valley near the town, though the church was not actually built until several years later. In the years since, the church has become known simply as 'the Little Brown Church'." -Wikipedia
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Thanks and Acknowledgements
Thnks to Nathan Wood for sharing this song with us!
Photo by RifeIdeas - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
