The Christian’s Song

I paired words from the hymn below (1st & 2nd stanzas, and refrain) with the tune Wiley. I had read how Mr. Wiley Palmer Jones sang those words, and I desired to have a tune with which to sing them. The resulting tune was named Wiley, in honor of Mr. Jones. Written in 2011,^* it was published in The Sacred Harp, 2012 Cooper Revision (No. 514). The tune has subsequently been included in The Good Old Songs, Second Volume as well (No. 562).

The poetry is attributed to George Askins. I believe he wrote the original hymn, and that it was been transmitted in a number of variants arranged from his original. Likely his best-known hymn is “Brethren, we have met to worship.”

The Christian’s Song. 6.6.7.D.

1. Dear brethren, I have found,
A land which doth abound,
With fruits as sweet as manna,
The more I eat I find,
The more I am inclined,
To sing and shout “hosanna!”

Refrain:
My soul doth long to go,
Where it may fully know,
The glory of the Savior;
And as I pass along,
I’ll sing the Christian’s song,
I hope to live forever.

2. What must this fountain be,
From which grace flows so free,
It yields both peace and pleasure;
There’s no terrestrial bliss,
Can ever equal this,
A foretaste of my Savior.

3. Perhaps you think I’m wild
And simple as a child;
I am a child of glory.
My joy is from above,
My heart is filled with love,
I long to tell the story.

4. Now brethren, can you say,
That you are on your way—
Are on your way to glory?
I care not for the name,
Religion is the same;
Come tell the pleasing story.

5. My soul doth sit and sing,
And practices her wings,
And contemplates the hour:
When the messenger shall say,
Come quit this house of clay,
And with bright angels tower.

6. In fields of living green,
Close by the crystal stream,
My Saviour leads his children.
And if they watch and pray,
Each moment every day,
Their shepherd never leaves them.

7. While perfect love controls
Each motion of their souls,
Their faces shine with heaven;
And as they pass along,
They sing the Christian’s song,
“We hope to live forever.”

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* Note: April 6, 2011. As an odd circumstance, it was written on my Mother’s birthday, April the 6th.