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

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 ''hy ...

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

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 wri ...

and gospel music composer Robert Lowry (1826–1899). It was written in 1864 and is now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

. 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 compe ...

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 pref ...

. An arrangement was also composed by Charles Ives, 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'' (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 ci ...

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

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'' (1 ...

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'' (1939), in the early scene is which Claire Trevor's character Dallas is run out of town. It also appears in Ford's '' Tobacco Road'' (1941), '' My Darling Clementine'' (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 W ...

'' (1956), and '' 7 Women'' (1966). The song is also heard in Gene Fowler, Jr.'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 la ...

'' (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 Institut ...

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 content ...

'' (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'' 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'', the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' films, and '' Rango''. He won the Academy Awar ...

'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's romantic comedy '' Hobson's Choice'' (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'' (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 Ca ...

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?'' (1967). It is also included in the film adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale (film). 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'' (1996), credited on the soundtrack as ''Yes, We'll Gather at the River''. The title " Shall We Gather at the River" is used as the name of a second season episode of '' Falling Skies''. The hymn opens Richard Rossi'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 A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs or commercium songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music. In Germany, drinking songs are ...

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 is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than '' ryūkōka'' music, ...

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 (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 The University of Antioquia ( es, Universidad de Antioquia), also called UdeA, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university located primarily in the city of Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, with regional campuses in Amalfi, Andes ...

in Medellin, Colombia uses the same melody in its official song. The British band

Groove Armada Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles "At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of w ...

's single " At the River" features a trombone part derived from "Shall We Gather at the River?", played by band member Andy Cato.

References

External links

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