Come, Come, Ye Saints was written by William W. Phelps on the plains of Iowa, upon hearing of the birth of his son back in Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846. He was starting his journey to the west, along with all the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, led by Brigham Young, and was joyful to hear his wife and son were alive and well, taken care of by the Lord in their needs. Not all were that fortunate, but he shares the knowledge that they, too, are happy, freed from earthly sorrow and care.
In this arrangement, which Amy K. Alvord and I created on a visit to Martin's Cove, Wyoming to sing in a church meeting on that sacred ground where many lost their lives, I have tried to depict the plodding of the wagons, the endless miles, the trials along the way, with a fervent plea to God, as I add "I Need Thee Every Hour" as the third verse, to indeed be with us every hour, in joy or pain, wherever our journey takes us. I have adapted this here for solo piano (you can listen to the vocal/piano version with Amy as soloist in the albm, "In His Hands" also).  Thank you for listening!