LIFE OF KNOWLES SHAW THE SINGING EVANGELIST" by William Baxter, at therestorationmovement.com". Archived from the original on 2012-02-13 . Retrieved 2012-08-04.

As a singer,reporters of the press all spoke of his singing as something wonderful. Soon after beginning to preach, he started to compose and write music. His first hymn was "The Shining Ones," which is still popular. He published at different times five singing books: "Shining Pearls,""Golden Gate,""Sparkling Jewels,""The Gospel Trumpet," and the "Morning Star.""Bringing in the Sheaves" was one of the last songs from his hand. De Vaux, Roland. Ancient Israel Its Life and Institutions. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1958. In the prophecies of Jeremiah: “Speak: ‘Thus declares the Lord, ‘The dead bodies of men shall fall like dung upon the open field, like sheaves after the reaper, and none shall gather them’” ( Jeremiah 9:22).Kalinak, Kathryn. How the West Was Sung Music in the Westerns of John Ford. Berkley, University of California Press, 2007. The verse from which Shaw extracted his concept was Psalm 126. The specific verses said, “He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” ( Psalm 126:6). The Psalmist wishes to see the enemies of God not have a fruitful harvest: “Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms” ( Psalm 129:6-7). In the hymn the sheaves do not refer to actual bundles of wheat, but rather, the sheaves are people. The field to be harvested is the whole world, full of people who need to hear and accept the Gospel. Christians are supposed to go out and fulfill the Great Commission; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” ( Matthew 28:19-20a). By obeying this last instruction from the Lord Jesus, Christians are participating in a harvest.

The metaphor of bringing in the sheaves has its roots in agricultural cycles and culture. Specifically, it comes from the process of the growing and harvesting of wheat, a staple of many cultures across the world. Ruth gleaned sheaves in Boaz’s fields: “She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest … When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, ‘Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her’” ( Ruth 2:7&15).Church highlights hymns in films – Baptist News Global". Baptist News Global. March 29, 2009 . Retrieved April 13, 2022. Pisani, Michael (May 2009). "Reviewed Work: How the West Was Sung: Music in the Westerns of John Ford by Kathryn Kalinak". Pacific Historical Review. 78 (2): 312.