Waking Up to “Where the Roses Never Fade” by Norma Jean

We have those days when we feel like a zombie. You dress up for work and finish another day of work. Once home, you’re thankful that finally, it’s done. Then you realize, you’ll have to do it again tomorrow.

Of course, you don’t want such episodes in your career to continue. So, what do you do? I, for one, created a morning playlist. Those songs in it were handpicked to perk me up. Here’s one for sharing!

“Where the Roses Never Fade” by Norma Jean

The Song in Brief

This tune was published in 1942 by Stamps-Baxter Music & Printing Company. The copyright is still in the dispute. Officially, it’s been credited to Jim Miller, Jack Osborn, and Elsie Osborn. The claim in the dispute states that the authorship belongs to Janie West Sanders Metzgar.

Its frequency of use and appearance in hymnals increased by the 1970’s. List of notable recordings are as follows:

Blackwood Brothers (1967 Surely Goodness And Mercy)
Blue Ridge Quartet (1973 Puts It Together)
Cathedral Quartet (1985 An Old Convention Song)
Florida Boys (1996 He Shall Return)
J D Sumner And The Stamps (1993 20 Southern Gospel Favorites; 1997 Pure Gospel: 16 Vintage Gospel Standards)
Jimmy Swaggart (1972 Camp Meeting Organ; 1972 God Took Away My Yesterdays)
Kingsmen Quartet (1991 Classic Hymns)
LordSong (2007 Classics)

The Songwriter

Janie West Sanders Metzgar (1915-1977)

She and her brother, Archie were orphaned in the early 1900’s. Their mom died in childbirth, while their dad died from a brain injury. The neighbors then took then to the Buckner’s Baptist Orphanage where they were raised.

Diagnosed with leukemia, she did not allow her illness to get in the way of her relationship with God. Though pestered by migraine headaches, she wrote hymns that speak of unyielding trust to the Lord’s goodness. Soon, she received awards and recognition for her musical contributions.

She left earth on August 16, 1977. It’s the same date of Elvis Presley’s death.