"Stand by Me" is a 1905 gospel song by Charles Albert Tindley.Robert Darden, Bob Darden People Get Ready!: A New History of Black Gospel Music 2005- Page 162 "Tindley had a rare gift for both creating Bible-based images and imminently singable choruses: "Stand by Me" (Charles Albert Tindley, originally copyrighted 1905) When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me When the storms of life are ..." Despite the song's documented origins, it has sometimes been published without attribution or erroneously listed as "traditional".
The song is sometimes referred to as "Stand by Me Father", leading to confusion with an unrelated song with that name by Sam Cooke and J. W. Alexander.
"Stand by Me" has been recorded by various artists, including Bob DylanOliver Trager Keys to the rain: the definitive Bob Dylan encyclopedia 2004 - Page 584 ""Stand by Me" a "Stand by Me" (Charles Albert Tindley) aka "Oh Lord, Stand by Me' Elvis Presley,... to Mahalio Jackson (1996) Dylan only performed this gospel song (not the same tune popularized by Ben E. King and by the effective 1989 adolescent buddy flick starring the late River Phoenix)." and Elvis Presley. It served as an inspiration for the popular song of the same name by Ben E. King.
Lyrics When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea, thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.
In the midst of tribulation, stand by me. In the midst of tribulation, stand by me. When the hosts of hell assail, and my strength begins to fail, thou who never lost a battle, stand by me.
In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me. In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me. When I do the best I can, and my friends misunderstand, thou who knowest all about me, stand by me.
In the midst of persecution, stand by me. In the midst of persecution, stand by me. When my foes in battle array, undertake to stop my way, thou who saved Paul and Silas, stand by me.
When I'm growing old and feeble, stand by me. When I'm growing old and feeble, stand by me. When my life becomes a burden, and I'm nearing chilly Jordan, O thou Lily of the Valley, stand by me.
Recordings
The song has been recorded by artists including:Steve Sullivan, Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings Volume 2 (2013). p. 94. "It was inspired by the gospel standard 'Stand by Me' (also known as 'Stand by Me Father'), written in 1905 by Charles Albert Tindley (a Philadelphia-based African Methodist Episcopal minister), and recorded by, among others, the Pace Jubilee Singers (for Victor in 1928), the Norfolk Jubilee Singers (for Decca in 1937), Sister Rosetta Tharpe (for Decca in 1941), and the Staple Singers (for Vee Jay in January 1961 just before King's record was issued). Anthony Heilbut remarks that it "combines the fervor of a Dr. Watts hymn with a terse economy of a spiritual": "When the storms of life are raging, stand by me, stand by me ... In the midst of tribulation, stand by me ..." 472 The Tindley song . ...
1928: Pace Jubilee Singers (10-inch 78 rpm single Victor 21551) 1937: Norfolk Jubilee Singers (Decca Records) 1941: Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Decca). However, the lyrics do not match the hymn so it is a totally different song. 1949: Ernest Tubb (10-inch 78 rpm single Decca 14506) 1961: The Staple Singers (Vee Jay) 1966: The Caravans (Exodus Records) 1966: Elvis Presley (RCA Victor) 1975: Johnny Shines ("Johnny Shines 'Live' in Europe 1975", Document Records) 1985: Canton Spirituals (J&B Records) 1994: Willie Nelson (MCA Records) 2018: Sweet Yonder (Sweet Yonder) on the album Next to You (Date unknown) The Pilgrim Travelers. Re-issued on The Best of Gospel Choirs (1995, Baur Music Production BMP 51143)
References