pass me not oh gentle stranger

The hymn Pass Me Not was written by Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915). I’ve read two different stories detailing how Crosby was inspired to write the song. The first: Crosby was visiting a prison as part of a missionary group when she heard one of the prisoners cry out “Lord please don’t pass me by.” The second: Crosby dreamt that the Lord was walking through her church touching people as he went, she began to pray the Lord would touch her and not pass her by.

I knew Crosby was a prolific hymn writer-all you have to do is thumb through a hymn book to see old favorites she wrote like: Blessed Assurance, I Am Thine O Lord, and Pass me Not.

I found an interesting page here-which lists Crosby’s songs as well as the many pseudonyms she wrote under.

As you might have guessed-I’m partial to Pap and Paul’s version of Pass Me Not. I especially like this video of them doing the song. I like how Paul reminds them he’s going to do a turn around instead of a break; I like how Pap calls out the first line of the verse to Paul so he remembers; and I love that lovely harmony that sounds like a baby’s lullaby.

 

Hope you enjoyed the video too!

Tipper

This post was originally published here on the Blind Pig and the Acorn in June of 20

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16 Comments

  1. Tipper I love the old song Pass Me Not oh Gentle Savior . I heard from someone but don’t know how true it was Fannie Crosby was from Ellijay, Georgia. I had lost your post and Truman found it for me. I do not do much e-mailing either.
    I did write a poem while looking down upon my worn out gadabout shoes which I finally discarded. I will share it with you.
    A Faithful Pair
    As looking down upon my feet a fagged ole pair of shoes
    much applauded and needed ole shoes of many years untold
    this pair of ole shoes has meant much to me
    I have slide my feet into those ole rugged shoes day after day
    knowing one day when my sliver cord breaks my feet will slide
    into golden slippers to walk around heaven’s land
    They go with me to pick berries and with me while vacuuming the house
    they were with me when I fell and my big toe punched a hole thru their rotten leather
    There are no numbers of counted miles those pair walked upon my feet and with comfort I might add
    Those ole shoes are withered with age like me and time has come to depart from off my feet
    I will toss them aside only to retrieve them again and again
    Some things are faithful until the end, I am not ready to be [pastured either so I reach for a couple of dear friends, my pair of old shoes.
    -Mary Lou McKillip

  2. Tipper: Your POST is so special – thanks to the wonderful song – which my Mama use to sing as she would go through her hard day’s work day after day! Eva Nell

  3. Tipper,
    This is one of my Favorite songs, and I like it when Pap tells Paul the next verse. I remember when you all first started and was doing “Just a Touch of the Past’, Pap had to remind Paul of
    some verses. Paul forgot the verse for a jiffy and I’ll never forget that look Pap gave him. It was as if Pap was going to say “Son, don’t make us have to do this thing over again.” That was a Classic! …Ken

  4. We sang Blessed Assurance today at our (sosayshun) association meeting. Singing,preaching, and dinner on the grounds.

  5. We sang Blessed Assurance today at our (sosayshun) association meeting. Singing,preaching, and dinner on the grounds.

  6. We sang Blessed Assurance today at our (sosayshun) association meeting. Singing,preaching, and dinner on the grounds.

  7. We sang Blessed Assurance today at our (sosayshun) association meeting. Singing,preaching, and dinner on the grounds.

  8. I could listen to that kind of playing and singing all day and way up into the night!
    Did I detect a little George Shuffler cross-picking in Paul’s solo? You might think you have never heard of George Shuffler but if you are a bluegrass music fan, I guarantee you have heard him or his legacy. He never made much of name for himself but he made the Stanley Brothers. His style brought the guitar from a humdrum rhythm instrument behind the fiddles and banjos to front and center stage. George never got a lot of recognition during his life but if you look him up and listen to some of his music, you will recognize his influence in bluegrass today.
    https://soundcloud.com/melton-miller-music/the-boy-from-valdese

  9. I had no idea she wrote hymns under other names, and I did not know she was blind. Beautiful rendition of an old hymn from my childhood. I still remember most of the words.

  10. So beautiful! I hope they didn’t mind that I sang along with them! Fanny Crosby’s hymns are
    my favorites.

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