When I Cross(ed) That River

This Southern Gospel song about death / for funerals was the title track of an album released by the Spenser family, led by Wade Spenser ref.   It is not clear if Spenser wrote the song, or simply the arrangement.

The title is either "when I cross that river" or "when I crossed that river" - the tense of the rest of the words means that "crossed" makes more sense, but some artists have recorded it as "cross".

There is a reference to a song with the same title being a spiritual sung by slaves, in a musical written in 1998 with 26 "original songs":   it is not clear if this is actually the same song.

No sources of printed sheet music have been found.

If you have any further information about the song, please leave a message in the Comments box near the bottom of this page.

Downloads

PowerPoint
slides

Examples

Contemporary band - keyboard and guitar:

Recording by the Spencer family:

Southern gospel praise band:

Trio - self backed on guitar and mandolin:

Lyrics

Many hills and many valleys, these old tired feet have trod,
And so often I have wondered, would they reach heaven's sod?
Oh, but I know the answer when I stepped in Jordan's stream,
And when I crossed that river, it was worth it all to me.

Chorus
And when I crossed that river, it was worth it all to me
All the beauties of heaven before my eyes I could see;
There stands Jesus and there's Mom and Dad, they've been waiting for me
When I crossed that river, it was worth it all to me.

Now I've changed from rags to a robe of white
And my shoes, they're made of gold;
A glorious street the Lord is leading me
All is new; there's nothing old.

We've just stopped before my mansion,
My name's inscribed above the door;
Just today it was completed,
And now I'll live here forever more.