GOIN' HOME
(Antonín Leopold Dvořák (m*) 1893 / William Arms Fisher (l*) 1922)

Deanna Durbin 1941

Also sung by:
Paul Robeson 1958
David Phelps
Sam Cooke
And many others...



The first set of lyrics (following) are from the film (Deanna Durbin sings to
Charles Laughton)

Goin' home
Goin' home
I'm a goin' home
Quiet like, some still day
I'm just goin' home.

It's not far
Just close by
Through an open door
Work all done, care laid by
Goin' to grieve no more.

Mother's there, 'spectin' me
Father's waitin' there… (Durbin breaks down)


In one of her studio recordings of Goin' Home, Durbin sings the following last
verse as:

Mother's there, 'spectin' me
I'm a goin' home
Quiet like, some still day
I'm just goin' home.


The second set of lyrics (following) are from 1922 and thought by some to be the
original set of lyrics as published.

Goin' home, goin' home, I'm a goin' home;
Quiet-like, some still day, I'm jes' goin' home.
It's not far, jes' close by,
Through an open door;
Work all done, care laid by,
Goin' to fear no more.
Mother's there 'spectin' me,
Father's waitin' too;
Lots o' folk gather'd there,
All the friends I knew,
All the friends I knew.
Home, I'm goin' home!

Nothin lost, all's gain,
No more fret nor pain,
No more stumblin' on the way,
No more longin' for the day,
Goin' to roam no more!
Mornin' star lights the way,
Res'less dream all done;
Shadows gone, break o' day,
Real life jes' begun.
There's no break, there's no end,
Jes' a livin' on;
Wide awake, with a smile
Goin' on and on.

Goin' home, goin' home, I'm jes' goin' home,
goin' home, goin' home, goin' home!

(credit Mel Priddle)


The third set of lyrics (following) are widely available on the Internet, a hymn
set to Dvořák's Second movement.

Going home, going home
I'm just going home
Quiet-like, slip away
I'll be going home.

It's not far, just close by
Jesus is the Door
Work all done, laid aside
Fear and grief no more.

Friends are there, waiting now
He is waiting too
See His smile, See His hand
He will lead me through.

Morning Star lights the way
Restless dream all done
Shadows gone, break of day
Life has just begun.

Every tear wiped away
Pain and sickness gone
Wide awake there with Him
Peace goes on and on.

Going home, going home
I'll be going home
See the light See the sun
I'm just going home.

Internet Reference: http://www.lnwhymns.com/products/hymns/15.htm (2013)

NOTES:

This song appeared in the Universal film 'It Started with Eve' in 1941
Director: Henry Koster
Leads: Deanna Durbin / Charles Laughton / Robert Cummings

The origins of the melody and lyrics for this piece of music are a point of some
conjecture, thus it's worth discussing a bit further.

Some feel that this song has it's historical roots grounded in the 'Negro
Spiritual' family of music and it was later adapted for symphony. On the other
hand some believe that the song is a derative of a particular symphony of one of
the two Czech classical masters and was absorbed at some later date into the
'Negro Spiritual' realm. Others support the fact that it originated as a church
hymn, a very long time ago…and there are still other views not presented here.

The classical master in question is Antonín Leopold Dvořák (September 8,
1841 – May 1, 1904) and the symphony is Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, 'From
The New World', or more commonly known as the New World Symphony. The melody
springs from the Second Movement (the Largo). As a point of interest for
classical music buffs, the definitive work for this symphony is arguably George
Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.

It is generally held that the lyrics were written by William Arms Fisher who was
a purported compositional student of Dvořák at the time.

No matter how one regards this ambivalence of view and it's ultimate resolution,
most agree that the melody and lyrics are thoughtful, soulful and moving,
particularly in Durbin's film.



(Transcribed by David Story - November 2013)