Story
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A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief describes the narrator's encounters with various individuals in need, realizing towards the end that each of those individuals were representative of the Savior, and how, as we are told in Matthew 25:40, "inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these, you have done it unto me." In this version, I've depicted 4 of the 7 verses--listen for the chance meeting with the individual in need, the next meeting as he thirsts by the water, meeting as he's condemned to die, and then finally coming from disguise to reveal the Savior standing before him.
John Taylor sang this song for Joseph Smith, as they languished on a hot summer afternoon in the upper room of the Carthage, Illinois, jail, with the distinct feeling that, as was fulfilled a short while later that day by an angry mob, the life of Joseph Smith was about to end. Whether it's helping a stranger with food, clothing, offering whatever talents we have in love--or even giving our lives in his cause, but especially living our life for his cause--we have done it for him. This song started as a vocal/piano rendition but has also been adapted for solo piano. You can hear the preliminary recording of the piano version, which will available on CD September 27, 2014, under the album, "My Savior, My Lord, My King."