Joan Osborne
Lyric guide

Wayfarin' Stranger

Read Wayfarin' Stranger lyrics by Joan Osborne on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

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Page type: lyric reference Artist: Joan Osborne Canonical path: /joan-osborne/wayfarin-stranger Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

Wayfarin' Stranger

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I'm just a poor Wayfarin' StrangerÂ

travelin' through this world of woeÂ

there's no sickness toil nor sorrowÂ

in that bright world to which I goÂ

I'm going there to see my fatherÂ

I'm going there no more to roamÂ

I'm just a going' over Jordan I'm just a going' overÂ

homeÂ

ya see I'm a concrete buffalo soldierÂ

I gotta chip it's like boulder on my shoulderÂ

look in my eyes and you can see a red marbleÂ

like Nostradamus I'm the promise of tomorrowÂ

traveling the city with my mexican cargoÂ

cotton mouth - I take a dry swallowÂ

to the nearest corner watering holeÂ

the bartender with the deed for my soulÂ

satisfaction no I can't get noÂ

lotsa bad habits that I need to controlÂ

recite the Psalms but no emancipationÂ

church for food and liquor stores for salvationÂ

some day I'll makeÂ

it home to see my fatherÂ

he saw the man who shot the coal miner's daughterÂ

and if I had a dime for every gamble I riskedÂ

I could buy a diamond for the woman I miss ya seeÂ

I'm just a poor Wayfarin' strangerÂ

ya check with me ya checking in with dangerÂ

I'm just a poor Wayfarin' strangerÂ

roaming the streets seeking Jesus in a mangerÂ

I'm goin' there to see my MotherÂ

she said she'll meet me when I comeÂ

I'm just a goin' over Jordan I'm just goin' over homeÂ

Jordan river roll river Jordan roll River Jordan roll onÂ

Gee ain't it funny - how time slips away I wanna rewind the tape to seeÂ

my life replayÂ

I soak up the sun - just as a reminderÂ

that I was born a sick side winderÂ

call me a vagrant, no machine to read your faxÂ

I'll never pledge allegiance to your blood sweat and taxesÂ

don't ever mistake me being docile for contentmentÂ

don't my anger for resentmentÂ

it's just the calm before the storm that's why I'm quietÂ

ya always mistaking an uprising for a race riotÂ

you can take my life life - but there's no escapeÂ

'cause you can't shoot yer way through the pearly gatesÂ

so swing low sweet cadillacÂ

coming for to carry me homeÂ

swing low pink cadillacÂ

stepping over Jordan I roamÂ

I'm just a poor Wayfarin' strangerÂ

ya check with me ya checking in with dangerÂ

I'm just a poor Wayfarin' strangerÂ

roaming the streets seeking Jesus in a mangerÂ

(chorus)Â

When the road is callin' yonder, when the road is callin' yonderÂ

When the road is callin', when the road is callin' yonder I'll be thereÂ

(chorus)

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Who performs "Wayfarin' Stranger"?

Joan Osborne performs "Wayfarin' Stranger", and this lyric page sits inside the Joan Osborne catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Wayfarin' Stranger"?

Yes. The related section below points to Angels we have heard on high and Away in a Manger with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Joan Osborne?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Joan Osborne's lyric pages.

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