"Shall We Gather at the River?" or simply "At the River" are the popular names for the

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

originally titled "Beautiful River" and subsequently titled "Hanson Place," written by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

composer

Robert Lowry Robert Lowry may refer to: * Robert Lowry (governor) (1829–1910), American politician, governor of Mississippi * Robert Lowry (hymn writer) (1826–1899), American professor of literature, Baptist minister and composer of gospel hymns * Robert L ...

(1826–1899). It was written in 1864 and is now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

. The title "Hanson Place" is a reference to the original Hanson Place Baptist Church in Brooklyn, where Lowry, as a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister, sometimes served. The original building now houses a different denomination. The music is in the key of D and uses an 8.7.8.7 R

meter The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

. An arrangement was also composed by

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed f ...

, and a later arrangement is included in

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

's ''

Old American Songs ''Old American Songs'' are two sets of songs arranged by Aaron Copland in 1950 and 1952 respectively, after research in the Sheet Music Collection of the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays, in the John Hay Library at Brown Universit ...

'' (1952) in addition to being used by German compose
Anton Plate
in 'At The River' (2003), and by American wind band composer

David Maslanka David Maslanka (August 30, 1943 – August 7, 2017) was an American composer of Polish descent who wrote for a variety of genres, including works for choir, wind ensemble, chamber music, and symphony orchestra. Best known for his wind ensemble c ...

in his Symphony No. 9 (2011). The song was sung live at the 1980 funeral of American Supreme Court Justice

William O. Douglas William Orville Douglas (October 16, 1898January 19, 1980) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, who was known for his strong progressive and civil libertarian views, and is often c ...

.
There have been many recordings of the hymn including those by

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

and

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

Lyrics

The song's lyrics refer to the Christian concept of the anticipation of restoration and reward, and reference the motifs found at - a crystal clear river with water of life, issuing from the throne of heaven, all presented by an angel of God. Chorus : :''Yes, we’ll gather at the river,'' :''The beautiful, the beautiful river;'' :''Gather with the saints at the river'' :''That flows by the throne of God.''

Music

In popular culture

In film Westerns

The song was often employed in

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

soundtracks, particularly those of director

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

(being one of his favorite hymns) and it features in many of Ford's most famous films. The melody is played paradoxically in ''

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

'' (1939), in the early scene is which

Claire Trevor Claire Trevor ( Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Key Largo'' (1948), and received nomina ...

's character Dallas is run out of town. It also appears in Ford's ''

Tobacco Road Tobacco Road may refer to: Prose * ''Tobacco Road'' (novel) (1932), by Erskine Caldwell ** ''Tobacco Road'' (play) (1933), by Jack Kirkland ** ''Tobacco Road'' (film) (1941), directed by John Ford Music * "Tobacco Road" (song) (1960s), by John D. ...

'' (1941), ''

My Darling Clementine ''My Darling Clementine'' is a 1946 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp during the period leading up to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The ensemble cast also features Victor Mature (as Doc Hollid ...

'' (1946), '' Three Godfathers'' (1948), ''

Wagon Master ''Wagon Master'' is a 1950 American Western film produced and directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Joanne Dru, and Ward Bond. The screenplay concerns a Mormon pioneer wagon train to the San Juan River in Utah. The ...

'' (1950), twice in ''

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...

'' (1956), and ''

7 Women ''7 Women'', also known as ''Seven Women'', is a 1966 Panavision drama film directed by John Ford and starring Anne Bancroft, Sue Lyon, Margaret Leighton, Flora Robson, Mildred Dunnock, Betty Field, and Anna Lee, with Eddie Albert, Mike Mazurki, ...

'' (1966). The song is also heard in

Gene Fowler, Jr. Gene Fowler Jr. (27 May 1917 – 11 May 1998), the eldest son of journalist and author Gene Fowler, was a prominent Hollywood film editor. His work included films of Fritz Lang and Samuel Fuller and movies like Stanley Kramer's ''It's a Mad, ...

's '' The Oregon Trail'' (1959) and in

Elliot Silverstein Elliot Silverstein (born August 3, 1927) is an American film and television director. He directed the Academy Award-winning western comedy ''Cat Ballou'' (1965), and other films including '' The Happening'' (1967), '' A Man Called Horse'' (1970), ...

's ''

Cat Ballou ''Cat Ballou'' is a 1965 American western comedy film starring Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual role. The story involves a woman who hires a notorious gunman to protect her father's ranch, and late ...

'' (1965). It was used in the

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic ''The Wild Bunch'' received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institute ...

films ''

Major Dundee ''Major Dundee'' is a 1965 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, and James Coburn. Written by Harry Julian Fink, the film is about a Union cavalry officer who leads a contentiou ...

'' (1965) and also ''

The Wild Bunch ''The Wild Bunch'' is a 1969 American epic Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Ben Johnson and Warren Oates. The plot concerns an aging outlaw gang on th ...

'' (1969) where it was employed as ironic counterpoint during an onscreen massacre. It was similarly put to use in such dark, late-period Westerns as 1968's ''

Hang 'Em High ''Hang 'Em High'' is a 1968 American DeLuxe Color revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching; Inger Stevens as ...

'' and 1972's '' Jeremiah Johnson''.Silva, Robert. Future of Classic, 2009-01-10. Retrieved on 2009-02-02 The song was used in

Gore Verbinski Gregor Justin "Gore" Verbinski (born March 16, 1964) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and musician. He is best known for directing ''The Ring (2002 film), The Ring'', the ''Pirates of the Caribbean (film series), Pirates of t ...

's infamous 2013 pastiche western, ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

.''

In other films

It features prominently in

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

's romantic comedy ''

Hobson's Choice A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one thing is actually offered. The term is often used to describe an illusion that multiple choices are available. The most well known Hobson's choice is "I'll give you a choice: take it or leave ...

'' (1954) and in

Richard Brooks Richard Brooks (May 18, 1912 – March 11, 1992) was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and film producer. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, Oscars in his career, he was best known for ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), ''Cat on a ...

's drama ''

Elmer Gantry ''Elmer Gantry'' is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 that presents aspects of the religious activity of America in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. The novel's protagonis ...

'' (1960). A caricatural vocal rendition of the song (with new revival-style lyrics) is used for both a car chase and the end credits of

Howard Morris Howard Jerome Morris (September 4, 1919 – May 21, 2005) was an American actor, comedian, and director. He was best known for his role in ''The Andy Griffith Show'' as Ernest T. Bass, and as "Uncle Goopy" in a celebrated comedy sketch on Sid Cae ...

caper ''Capparis spinosa'', the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers), used as a seasoning ...

comedy, ''

Who's Minding the Mint? ''Who's Minding the Mint?'' is a 1967 American crime comedy film directed by Howard Morris and starring Jim Hutton, Dorothy Provine, Walter Brennan and Milton Berle. The screenplay, concerning a group of individuals who break into a United State ...

'' (1967). It is also included in the film adaptation of

The Handmaid's Tale (film) ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a 1990 dystopian film adapted from Canadian author Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name. Directed by Volker Schlöndorff, the film stars Natasha Richardson (Offred), Faye Dunaway (Serena Joy), Robert Duvall ...

. Part of the hymn was sung in the Academy Award-winning period film, '' Trip to Bountiful'' (1985). The hymn is a primary musical theme for schlock film ''

Tromeo and Juliet ''Tromeo and Juliet'' is a 1997 American independent transgressive romantic black comedy film and a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Romeo & Juliet'' from Troma Entertainment. The film was directed by Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay b ...

'' (1996), credited on the soundtrack as ''Yes, We'll Gather at the River''. The title "

Shall We Gather at the River "Shall We Gather at the River?" or simply "At the River" are the popular names for the traditional Christian hymn originally titled "Beautiful River" and subsequently titled "Hanson Place," written by American poet and gospel music composer Rob ...

" is used as the name of a second season episode of ''

Falling Skies ''Falling Skies'' is an American science fiction television series set in a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic era, created by Robert Rodat and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, executive produced by Steve ...

''. The hymn opens

Richard Rossi Richard Rossi is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, talk radio host, musician, and former evangelical minister. Among Rossi's projects are the film ''Canaan Land'' which contained five of Rossi's songs that made the song list for Oscar con ...

's 1920s period piece drama ''Aimee Semple McPherson''.

International use

In Sweden, the 1876 hymn to the same melody ''O, hur saligt att få vandra'' ("O, how blessed it is to walk") became one of the most popular songs of the widespread Swedish revivalist movement. A drinking song to the same melody, ''Jag har aldrig vart på snusen'', partly mocking the religious message of the Swedish original, is one of the most popular drinking songs at Swedish universities. In Germany, the melody of the hymn became a well-known christmas carol named ''Welchen Jubel, welche Freude'' ("What rejoice, o what a joy") with the lyrics of Ernst Gebhardt (1832-1899). In 1937, the tune was adopted in Japan to a popular enka song ''Tabakoya no Musume'' ( タバコやの娘 ''The Girl at the Tobacconist's''). This enka song was soon parodied into juvenile song about the testicles of the

tanuki Tanuki may refer to: *Japanese raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes viverrinus'' or ''Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus''), a mammal native to Japan *Bake-danuki, a type of spirit (yōkai) in Japanese mythology that appears in the form of the mammal *A de ...

(たんたんたぬき), which goes, "Tan-tan-tanuki's testicles: there isn't any wind, but hey still goswing swing swing". The parodied version of the song remain popular among Japanese children and adults to this day. The University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia uses the same melody in its official song. The British band Groove Armada's single "

At the River "At the River" is a song by British duo Groove Armada. It was released as a single in 1997 on 7-inch vinyl, limited to 500 copies. The song appeared on the duo's debut album '' Northern Star'' and again on their second album, ''Vertigo'', relea ...

" features a trombone part derived from "Shall We Gather at the River?", played by band member

Andy Cato Andrew Derek Cocup Sr. (born 7 June 1973), known professionally as Andy Cato, is an English musician, record producer and DJ who is currently one half of the electronic music band Groove Armada, the other half being Tom Findlay. He was also inv ...

References

External links

Lyrics
{{Authority control American Christian hymns 1864 songs 19th-century hymns Protestant hymns Hymns by Robert Lowry