Jesus is a rock in a weary land

Jesus is a rock in a weary land. African American spiritual*. This song of African American origin is characterized by a memorable refrain that has remained constant for over a century; the stanzas, however, vary from publication to publication. The repetition of words in the refrain’s first three lines indicates that its origins may lie in oral rather than written tradition. The two primary elements of the refrain text— ‘rock in a weary land’ and ‘shelter in the time of storm’—echo several scripture passages, all taken from the King James Version, which was most likely the source (relevant lines are italicized): Isaiah 25:4: ‘For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the...