The words to this song, written by Wellesley College professor, Katharine Lee Bates, first appeared as a poem in a Congregationalist publication in 1895. By 1900 there were over 70 musical versions of the poem, but it was when a Baptist preacher, Clarence Barbour, paired it with music by Episcopal choirmaster, Samuel Ward, that the song was first heard as we sing it now.

This song has endured across generations and musical traditions and has been recorded by hundreds of artists, including Bing Crosby, Charlie Rich, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Vince Gill, Brenda Lee, Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand, Lyle Lovett, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and many others.

In 2026, some of the students who live in Gichi-Onigaming: Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and in Cook County, Minnesota learned this song to honor the veterans in their community. The children sang only the two verses posted here and because they all study Ojibwe from Pre-school through 7th Grade, they understood and were able to appreciate the way the song sings of ancestors who walked many paths, the people who came from other places and the people who were here when they arrived. You can hear the version they used for practice below.