"Jesus Met the Woman at the Well" is a traditional gospel song. It relates the story of the meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, found in the Gospel of John at 4:4-26.
One of the earliest recordings, by The Pilgrim Travelers (1950), credits the song as "Traditional, arranged by J. W. Alexander". The recording by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1986) credits the song as "Traditional, arranged by The Alabama Singers". (Some sources suggest that The Pilgrim Travelers and The Alabama Singers are alternative names for the same people.) The song has also been attributed to Reverend (Blind) Gary Davis.
As with many traditional songs, the lyrics differ from one performer to another. The following are typical:
Several artists have recorded the song. Recordings by people with Wikipedia articles include:
1947 – Two Gospel Keys, 78 rpm single for Apollo Records
1949 – The Fairfield Four, 78 rpm single
1950 – The Pilgrim Travelers, 78 rpm single
1954 – Sonny Terry and Blind Gary Davis, on the album The Singing Reverend
1955 – Mahalia Jackson, 45 rpm single and on the album The World's Greatest Gospel Singer
1958 – Mahalia Jackson, on the album Live at Newport 1958
1962 – Reverend Gary Davis, on the album Live at Gerde's Folk City 1962
1963 – C. L. Franklin, 45 rpm single Battle Records 6119 (a re-release of J.V.B. Records 106, of unknown date)
1964 – Ian & Sylvia, on the album Four Strong Winds
1964 – Peter, Paul and Mary, on the album In Concert, allegedly written by group members Peter Yarrow, Milton T. Okun and Mary Allin Travers
1969 – Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Included on the compilation albums How Sweet It Was (2010) and Good Feeling (2011)
1976 – Dave Van Ronk, on the album Sunday Street
1981 – Cleophus Robinson, on the album The Lord Takes Care of Everybody
1983 – Dave Van Ronk, on the album St. James Infirmary
1986 – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, on the album Kicking Against the Pricks
2011 – Charlie Parr, on the album Keep Your Hands on the Plow
2011 – The Versiteers, on the compilation album Shall We Gather At The River (Song was recorded in 1995 and the album (2011) was a Florida Folklife Collection release)
