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Scripture: I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Song: Goodby, World, Goodby

In a recent interview Mosie Lister said to me, "I want to tell you something that I have not previously shared in interviews like this. I grew up on a farm. As a child I would walk around the fields and in my mind I could hear choirs singing and orchestras playing. I wanted so much to write songs that those choirs would sing and the orchestras would play. I prayed, 'God, I'd like to be a songwriter.' I prayed that prayer for a whole year."

Well, God began to answer that prayer when he was only eighteen years of age. He confessed, "I am so amazed at what God has allowed me to do. I thank Him and appreciate His blessings."

Along the way he took good advice from men like Adger M. Pace, who told him, "Be sure the tune can be whistled." And from Jake Hess who passed along these comments, "If you want your songs to live, write things that are eternally true, and people will not forget them."

Someone asked, "Who is the most significant contributor of songs to the field of Southern Gospel Music?" The answer came, "You mean other than Mosie Lister?"

Mosie, has been writing songs for God's people for more than fifty years. He gave his heart and life to Christ at age seventeen and began to write songs soon thereafter. He was born in 1921, in the town of Cochran, Georgia, and grew up in a very musical home, studying piano, violin and guitar for several years.
After a tour of duty in the navy, he formed a group called The Melody Masters. From that group he moved on to the legendary Statemen, as a singer, songwriter and arranger.

Mosie Lister thought it good to write a cheery song about heaven -- the part about departing this world. A great portion of the Southern Gospel Classics are songs about heaven or the cross of Christ. Some time ago Lister told this story:

“In 1955, I just wanted to write a happy song about a Christian soul departing this world for the next one.” He wrote such a song and showed it to the Statesmen Quartet, but they seemed to think it too plain and ordinary.

Mosie stated, “A few days later I wrote an up-tempo arrangement of it that I felt expressed what the song was all about. The Statesmen ran through it and fell in love with it. It worked for them.”

The song went on to become a standard in the Southern Gospel Music genre. For the next thirty-seven years it was one of the most famous Christian songs in America, and was recorded by thousands of Southern Gospel singers.

Mosie continued, “In 1992, through the efforts of Bill Gaither, a new Statesmen Quartet was born, and they recorded “Goodby, World, Goodby” as the first song on their first album. It sounded so much like the original version it was down-right eerie. When I first heard them sing it I thought, ‘My goodness, that’s the old Statesmen all over again!’ But of course, it wasn’t. Hovie Lister (not related to Mosie) was playing the piano and Jake Hess was singing the melody, with other voices working with them. That made it successful! They had very nearly recaptured that old sound, thanks to the genius of Bill Gaither.”

Reflection:
It should be the goal of every Christian to be able to leave this world with no thought of regret of his or her past life -- with everything under the blood of Christ.

Reader Comments

Thanks for a great story about Mosie & his song, GOODBY, WORLD, GOODBY. I so love to hear the stories behind the songs.

God is good all the time & all the time God is good. 

Elaine Harcourt

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