Stand by Me

As a singer, it’s never enough just to sing a song. I want to know who wrote it and what moved them to put pen to paper and tell the world their inner thoughts. The more I know about the song, the more the words resonate with me as I realize this person understands my present struggles.

Charles Tindley/Wikimedia

As a budding author, my eyes often wandered to the upper right-hand corner of the page in search of the author.

I noticed the songs Nothing Between, Stand By Me, We’ll Understand It Better By and By, and Leave It There had something in common. They were all written by Charles A. Tindley.

I thought I would share what I found about this brave and humble man.

Robert J. Morgan in his book, Then Sings My Soul, Volume 2 tells the following:

Born into slavery.
He used bits of newspaper found along the roadside to teach himself the ABC’s
Took correspondence courses. “Thus while I was unable to go through the schools, I was able to let the schools go through me.”
Called an unlettered ignoramus
Became a pastor
Established soup kitchens
Opened his church to the homeless in cold weather
Knew criticism, abuse, hard and many opposition

Did he understand the depth of what he was writing? I believe so.

Do I?

When I sing those familiar songs, do I sing them with the same passion as he felt when putting pen to paper? I wonder.

I admit, it’s easy to open my mouth and let the words fly out without ever thinking about the message. But when I think of all this man went through, something inside me begins to stir.

For the same God that he wrote about is the same God I serve today. And no matter what may come my way He will never fail me.

I believe Charles A. Tindley knew, understood, and wrote about that truth.

Stand By Me~Charles Albert Tindley ~Public Domain

When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me; When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me. When the world is tossing me, Like a ship upon the sea, Thou Who rulest wind and water, Stand by me.