Elijah Cluke (1907-1974), for the current rendition of the song.В 'Just a Closer Walk with Thee' became better known nationally in the 1930s whenВ African-AmericanВ churches held huge musical conventions.В In 1940В Kenneth MorrisВ arranged and published for the first time the well-known version after gospel musiciansВ Robert AndersonВ and R.L. Lankton (a pseudonym forВ Fanny Crosby) and music by William Kirkpatrick, which was published in 1885.В Some references inВ Atchison, Kansas, credit anВ African-AmericanВ foundryВ worker and vocalist, Rev. Songs with similar chorus lyrics were published in the 1800s, including 'Closer Walk with Thee' with lyrics by Martha J. Within two years the song became a standard in gospel music, eventually becoming a standard in Jazz, and then moving into the realm of American folk music, known and sung by many.вЂќ Morris wrote down the words and music and published the song вЂњJust a Closer Walk with TheeвЂќ that year, 1940, adding a few lyrics of his own to provide more breadth. He paid little attention at first, but after he reboarded the train the song remained with him and became so prominent in his mind that at the next stop, he left the train, took another train back to the earlier station, and asked the porter to sing the song again. вЂњOn a train trip from Kansas City to Chicago, Morris exited the train on one of its stops to get some fresh air and heard one of the station porters singing a song. Horace Boyer cites a story that repudiates this claim, stating: Circumstantial evidence strongly suggested it dated back to southernВ African-AmericanВ churches of the nineteenth century, possibly even prior to theВ Civil War, as some personal African American histories recall 'slaves singing as they worked in the fields a song about walking by the Lord's side.'. The precise author of ' A Closer Walk' was unknown until recently. Listen to вЂњBeautiful LoserвЂќ by Bob Seger below.The Story Behind Just a Closer Walk with Thee It was Frey who helped refine the track and ultimately give Seger the feedback he needed to released the song. But thatвЂ™s a pretty rare thing.вЂќДЄfter this relatively lengthy process, Seger shared вЂњBeautiful LoserвЂќ with Glenn Frey-founding member of the Eagles and a friend to Seger. I just loved the titleвЂ¦ Actually, I wrote three or four songs called вЂBeautiful LoserвЂ™ until I came up with the one that worked.

вЂњOther times IвЂ™ll just sit down and say, вЂI wanna write a song called this.вЂ™ ThatвЂ™s how вЂBeautiful LoserвЂ™ happened. Then IвЂ™ll start singing gibberish over that and just find a lyrical idea that fits the ideas that I started out with. вЂњItвЂ™s usually a feel or a verse or a chorus, and the lyrics will come after IвЂ™ve decided that a certain pattern or groove or rhythm is cool. вЂњIвЂ™ve never written the lyrics and tried to build the music around that,вЂќ Seger told Music Connection in 1994. IвЂ™m a lot more up person than what I write.вЂќДЄfter CohenвЂ™s novel sparked SegerвЂ™s creative process, it ultimately took the Detroit-born rocker nearly a year to finish writing the song. I draw on my own experiences like anyone else, but IвЂ™m not what youвЂ™d call auteuristic. I very rarely write about myself that much. The song was about underachievers in general. вЂњ I got the idea for that song from a book of Leonard Cohen poetry by the same name.

вЂњA lot of people think I wrote вЂBeautiful LoserвЂ™ about myself,вЂќ he began. In a 1986 interview with Creem, Seger revealed the story behind this particular song. This unnamed character is both familiar and distant in SegerвЂ™s lyrics, making the song feel like someone whose name you canвЂ™t quite place. So, Seger leaned into the tried and true sentiments of heartland rock and penned a tune about the type of person we all know-the one who just canвЂ™t quite make it. There was much to talk about, and much for Seger to write about. In the broader scope of things, the Vietnam War was just ending and rock music was sprouting various types of successful subgenres. ItвЂ™s 1975 and Bob Seger has already dropped his debut album, RamblinвЂ™ GamblinвЂ™ Man, assembled the Silver Bullet Band, and established himself as a key player on the heartland rock scene.

Closer song and lyrics