Dustin Harding ✨ awakendaysaint@dustinharding
My song and video, "Spring of Eighteen-Twenty" is now live.
Most people know the story of Joseph Smith’s First Vision from the official 1838 account found in the Pearl of Great Price. But did you know Joseph actually left four different firsthand accounts during his life?
Each one was written to a different audience, and each contains unique details that most of us rarely hear.
For my new song, "Spring of Eighteen-Twenty," I didn’t want to choose just one version. I wanted to weave them all together into a single, chronological experience.
Here is the history hidden in the lyrics:
The Physical Struggle (Verse 1)
In the famous 1838 account, Joseph describes a "thick darkness." But in his 1835 journal entry, he adds visceral physical details:
His tongue swelled in his mouth so he could not speak.
He heard footsteps walking up behind him.
Lyric: "Knelt upon the ground to pray, but my tongue began to swell / Footsteps walking up behind me..."
The Angels (Verse 2)
We usually picture just the Father and the Son. However, the 1835 account explicitly states, "I saw many angels in this vision."
Lyric: "And a host of many angels, surrounding them in flame."
The Forgiveness of Sins (Verse 2)
The earliest account (1832) wasn't about starting a church—it was about Joseph’s soul. In this version, the Lord tells him immediately that his sins are forgiven. It’s a tender, personal moment often lost in the later institutional retellings.
Lyric: "One looked down and called me Joseph, said 'My son, thy sins are gone.'"
The "Exact" Resemblance (Verse 2)
The 1842 Wentworth Letter adds a fascinating visual detail: the two Personages "exactly resembled each other in features and likeness."
Lyric: "In the fire I saw them standing, two who looked exactly same."
The Future Promise (Verse 3)
In the 1842 account, Joseph isn't just told the churches are wrong; he is promised that "the fullness of the gospel" would be made known to him in the future. It wasn't just a rejection of the old, but a promise of the new.
Lyric: "Wait a while and I will show you, fullness of the truth to come."
The Result
By combining the 1832 (Redemption), 1835 (Angels & Struggle), 1838 (The Warning), and 1842 (The Promise), the story becomes fuller. It moves from a terrifying physical battle to a moment of personal forgiveness, and finally to a prophetic calling.
"Spring of Eighteen-Twenty" is my attempt to capture the whole picture and I hope it can help spread the truth of Joseph's experience and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The song is also available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.
YouTube Link: youtu.be/RJnvzLcUODo
Spotify Link: open.spotify.com/track/5HKFD1Rj…
Apple Music Link: music.apple.com/us/album/sprin…
