I have been thinking a lot about the Mormon pioneers in the last week or so and–while this is by no means an exhaustive list–I wanted to share a few of the songs that always remind me of them. Only one of them, so far as I know, is strictly a Mormon folk song, but the others, as I said, remind me of the Mormon pioneers crossing the plains.
First are two songs that I know from the BYU Men’s Choir: “We’ll Shout and Give Him Glory,” and “Whoa, Haw, Buck and Jerry Boy.” You can listen to “We’ll Shout and Give Him Glory” on YouTube, though the video has nothing whatever to do with going to Zion, shouting and giving glory, or the BYU Men’s Choir. Oh, well. “Whoa, Haw, Buck and Jerry Boy,” on the other hand, is nowhere to be found online (at least not that I can tell), and I am sadly unable to upload it to my blog. 
This song was written by Mormons, for Mormons, about Mormons. I love so many things about the words, and I especially like the thought of my pioneer ancestors singing things like this to try and keep their spirits up while they walked or pulled handcarts to Salt Lake Valley.
Next is a song I first heard performed by the BYU Men’s Choir, but have since been unable to ever find a recording of it by them. I do, though, have a recording by the BYU-Idaho Men’s Choir, in which my brother was singing at the time. “Whistle, Maggie, Whistle” is apparently beloved as a comic choral song, particularly in men-only choruses. There are a few versions available on YouTube, such as this one (although I think the BYU-I version is vastly superior). I’m not sure this song even existed when the pioneers were crossing the plains, but it still reminds me of them nonetheless.
Finally is a beautiful folk hymn that is widely known as a standard of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. “Bound for the Promised Land” (YouTube) is a classic American folk hymn, and I find the MoTab version particularly stirring–so much so that it often brings tears to my eyes. I can’t help but think of my pioneer ancestors and their feeling that they were, in literal truth, bound for the Promised Land–which then always makes me think of my own journey through life and my own quest for the Eternal Promised Land.
Below are the lyrics for all of these songs. Enjoy! (more…)
