Dark and Thorny is the Desert

DESCRIPTION: "Dark and thorny is the desert, Through which pilgrims make their way; But beyond this vale of sorrows Lie the fields of endless day." Difficulties on the way to heaven are described, but the pleasures of arrival are emphasized
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1805 (Lexington Collection, 2nd Edition, according to hymnary.org)
KEYWORDS: nonballad travel religious
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5 767, "Thorny Desert" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Roberts/Agey-InThePine #110, "Dark is the Desert" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES [100 words]: Apparently well-known in shape note hymnals, but less popular now, perhaps because it has a rather militant feel. Some versions take the tune "Regent Square," but this is apparently not universal -- hymnary.org shows it sung to "Bavaria," "Regent Square," "Hark, I Hear Hope Sweetly Singing," and a raft of tunes used in only one or two sources. It would seem that one of the earliest, if not the earliest, appearance was in the Southern Harmony, but I'm not sure which edition. It looks as if it was most popular around the 1830s. It appears in some shape note hymns under the title "Conquest." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: BrS5767

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