Today’s hymn is a traditional one on returning home. The arrangement above is by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw. The text below is from the 1916 National Jubilee Melodies, which includes two more verses than the recording above.
“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.” (Joshua 1:3 ESV)
1 Our bondage it shall end,
By and by, by and by;
Our bondage here shall end, by and by;
From Egypt’s yoke set free,
Hail the glorious jubilee,
And to Canaan we’ll return,
By and by, by and by,
And to Canaan we’ll return by and by.
2 Our Deliverer will come,
By and by, by and by;
Our Deliverer will come, by and by;
And our sorrows have an end,
With our threescore years and ten,
And vast glory crown the day,
By and by, by and by,
And vast glory crown the day, by and by.
3 Tho’ our enemies are strong,
We’ll go on, we’ll go on;
Tho’ our enemies are strong, we’ll go on;
Tho’ our hearts dissolve with fear,
Lo, Sinai’s God is near,
While the fiery pillar moves,
We’ll go on, we’ll go on,
While the fiery pillar moves, we’ll go on.
4 Thro’ Mara’s bitter streams
We’ll go on, we’ll go on;
Thro’ Marah’s bitter streams, we’ll go on;
Tho’ Baca’s vale be dry,
And the land yield no supply,
To a land of corn and wine,
We’ll go on, we’ll go on,
To a land of corn and wine, we’ll go on.
5 And when to Jordan’s floods,
We are come, we are come,
And when to Jordan’s floods, we are come;
Jehovah rules the tide,
And the waters He’ll divide,
And the ransomed host shall shout,
We are come, we are come,
And the ransomed host shall shout, we are come.
6 Then with all the happy throng,
We’ll rejoice, we’ll rejoice;
Then with all the happy throng, we’ll rejoice;
Shouting glory to our King,
Till the vaults of heav’n ring,
And thro’ all eternity,
We’ll rejoice, we’ll rejoice,
And thro’ all eternity, we’ll rejoice.