One Sweetly Solemn Thought Lyrics Phoebe Cary, 1852
6 verses, meter S. M., public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. One sweetly solemn thought
Comes to me o’er and o’er,—
Nearer my home to-day am I
Than e’er I’ve been before;
Verse 2. Nearer my Father’s house,
Where many mansions be;
Nearer to-day the great white throne;
Nearer the crystal sea;
Verse 3. Nearer the bound of life
Where burdens are laid down;
Nearer to leave the heavy cross;
Nearer to gain the crown.
Verse 4. But, lying dark between,
Winding down through the night,
There rolls the silent, unknown stream
That leads at last to light.
Verse 5. E’en now, perchance, my feet
Are slipping on the brink,
And I to-day am nearer home,
Nearer than now I think.
Verse 6. Father, perfect my trust;
Strengthen my spirit’s faith;
Nor let me stand at last alone
Upon the shore of death.
Words copied from Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (Abridged Edition) (1927). They were published in 1852, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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