On the Shoals

A cry comes ov­er the deep

Wailing of dy­ing souls.

’Tis ech­oed in ev­ery heart

Brothers are on the shoals!

The break­ers are dash­ing high

And death is in ev­ery wave

And wild­ly ring­eth the cry

We per­ish with none to save.

Ring out the tide of song

While pray­er its bur­den rolls

That He who rules the storm

Will bring them off the shoals.

Sweet hope went out with the day

Rudder and com­pass lost;

Despair more dark than night

Crowneth the tem­pest tossed;

No help may come from the sea

No suc­cor from the land

Say

must they per­ish

and we

Reach nev­er to them a hand?

Quick! point to the sav­ing Rock

Looming from out the deep

Whose bea­con the per­iled souls

Ever will safe­ly keep.

No mat­ter how fierce the storm

How mad­ly the bil­low rolls

The light of the guid­ing Star

Will bring them off the shoals.