Homewards

Dropping down the trou­bled riv­er

To the tran­quil

tran­quil shore;

Dropping down the mis­ty riv­er

Time’s wil­low-shad­ed riv­er

To the spring em­bo­somed shore

Where the sweet light shin­eth ev­er

And the sun goes down no more.

O won­drous

won­drous shore!

O won­drous

won­drous shore!

Dropping down the wind­ing riv­er

To the wide and wel­come sea;

Dropping down the nar­row riv­er

Man’s wea­ry

way­ward riv­er

To the blue and am­ple sea

Where no tem­pest wreck­eth ever

Where the sky is fair and free.

O joy­ous

joy­ous

sea!

O joy­ous

joy­ous

sea!

Dropping down the noi­sy riv­er

To our peace­ful

peace­ful home;

Dropping down the tur­bid riv­er

Earth’s bust­ling

crowd­ed riv­er

To our gen­tle

gen­tle home;

Where the rough roar ris­eth nev­er

And the vex­ings can­not come;

O loved and longed for home!

O loved and longed for home!

Dropping down the ed­dy­ing riv­er

With a helms­man true and tried;

Dropping down the pe­ril­ous riv­er

Mortality’s dark riv­er

With a sure and heav’n­ly guide;

Even Him who

to de­liv­er

My soul from death

hath died;

O Helmsman true and tried!

O Helmsman true and tried!

Dropping down the ra­pid riv­er

To the dear and death­less land;

Dropping down the well known riv­er

Life’s swoll’n and rush­ing riv­er

To the re­sur­rect­ion-land;

Where the liv­ing live for ev­er

And the dead have joined the band;

O fair and bless­èd land!

O fair and bless­èd land!