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Poor Wayfaring Stranger
Traditional, arr. Jay Althouse (b. 1951)

Known as a variety of different folk song titles, “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” is a well-known American folk and gospel song transcribed through oral tradition, likely originated in the early nineteenth century. Throughout the time period in and after the American Civil War, where it was known as the Libby Prison Hymn, this song explores the journey of a private soul through life. This arrangement by Jay Althouse extends such history with a modern and jazzy addition with the sound.