RISE Old Timey Songs
Lyric Archive

“The Beautiful River”

~Asa Hull / R. Torry, Jr., arr. Brent Holl

Oh, have you not heard of the beautiful stream
that flows through the promised land?
Its waters gleam bright in the heavenly light,
and ripple o’er golden sand.

O seek that beautiful stream,
O seek that beautiful stream.
Its waters, so free, are flowing for thee,
O seek that beautiful stream.

Its fountains are deep and its waters are pure
and sweet to the weary soul.
It flows from the throne of Jehovah alone!
O come where its bright waves roll.

O seek that beautiful stream,
O seek that beautiful stream.
Its waters, so free, are flowing for thee,
O seek that beautiful stream.

This beautiful stream is the river of life!
It flows for all nations free!
A balm for each wound in its water is found;
O sinner, it flows for thee!

O seek that beautiful stream,
O seek that beautiful stream.
Its waters, so free, are flowing for thee,
O seek that beautiful stream.

Oh, will you not drink of this beautiful stream,
and dwell on its peaceful shore?
The Spirit says: come all ye weary ones, home,
and wander in sin no more!

O seek that beautiful stream,
O seek that beautiful stream.
Its waters, so free, are flowing for thee,
O seek that beautiful stream.

“Bound for the Promised Land”

~S. Stennett/American Folk Melody; arr. BMH

On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand and cast a wishful eye
to Canaan’s fair and happy land, where my possessions lie.

I’m bound for the promised land,
I’m bound for the promised land.
Oh, who will come and go with me?
I’m bound for the promised land.

There gen'rous fruits that never fail on trees immortal grow.
There rocks and hills and brooks and vales with milk and honey flow.

I’m bound for the promised land,
I’m bound for the promised land.
Oh, who will come and go with me?
I’m bound for the promised land.

All o'er those wide extended plains shines one eternal day.
There God the sun forever reigns and scatters night away.

I’m bound for the promised land,
I’m bound for the promised land.
Oh, who will come and go with me?
I’m bound for the promised land.

When shall I reach that happy place, and be forever bless'd?
When shall I see my Father's face, and in his bosom rest?

I’m bound for the promised land,
I’m bound for the promised land.
Oh, who will come and go with me?
I’m bound for the promised land.

Filled with delight, my raptured soul can here no longer stay.
Though Jordan's waves around me roll, fearless I'd launch away.

I’m bound for the promised land,
I’m bound for the promised land.
Oh, who will come and go with me?
I’m bound for the promised land.

“Dayton” (“Where Charity and Love Prevail”)

~Traditional Hymn, arr. Brent Holl

Where charity and love prevail there God is ever found;
brought here together by Christ’s love, by love are we thus bound.

With grateful joy and holy fear true charity we learn.
Let us with heart and mind and strength now love Christ in return.

Forgive we now each other's faults as we our faults confess,
and let us love each other well in Christian holiness.

Let us recall that in our midst dwells God's begotten Son.
As members of his body joined, we are in Christ made one.

Love can exclude no race or creed if honored be God's name.
Our common life embraces all whose maker is the same.

“Down the Road”

~Bill Staines

I do believe that there will be
Waiting for me somewhere down the road
Another song …. that’s worth the singing,
That's worth the singing, somewhere down the road

Down the road, down the road,
Another song worth singing down the road
If the way seems long and slow, remember when you go,
There's a song worth singing down the road

I do believe that there will be
Waiting for me somewhere down the road
Another friend that's worth the knowing,
That's worth the knowing, somewhere down the road

Down the road, down the road,
Another friend worth knowing down the road
If the way seems long and slow, remember when you go,
There's a friend worth knowing down the road

I do believe that there will be
Waiting for me somewhere down the road
Another day that's worth the living,
That's worth the living, somewhere down the road

Down the road, down the road,
Another day worth living down the road
If the way seems long and slow, remember when you go,
There's a day worth living down the road

If the way seems long and slow, remember when you go,
There's a song worth singing,
A friend worth knowing,
There's a day worth living down the road

“Exultation”(“Come Away to The Skies”)

~Charles Wesley/Southern Harmony, arr. Brent Holl

Come away to the skies, my beloved, arise
and rejoice in the day you were born.
On this festival day, come exulting away,
and with singing to Zion return.

Now with singing and praise, let us spend all our days
by our gracious creator bestowed,
while in grace we receive from earth's bounty we live
to the honor and glory of God.

For the glory we were first created to share,
both the nature and kingdom divine,
now created again that our lives may remain
throughout time and eternity thine.

We with thanks do approve the design of that love
which has joined us to Jesus' name.
So united in heart, let us nevermore part,
til we meet at the feast of the Lamb.

“Farther Along”

~Rev. W.A Fletcher / J.R Baxter

Tempted and tried, we're oft made to wonder,
Why it should be thus, all the day long;
While there are others, living about us;
Never molested, though in the wrong.

Farther along, we'll know all about it.
Farther along, we'll understand why.
Cheer up my friends, let’s live in the sunshine,
We'll understand it all, by and by.

When we see Jesus, coming in glory,
When He comes from His home in the sky;
Then we shall meet Him, in that bright mansion,
We'll understand it all, by and by.

Farther along, we'll know all about it.
Farther along, we'll understand why.
Cheer up my friends, let’s live in the sunshine,
We'll understand it all, by and by.

“The Great Storm is Over”

~Bob Franke

The thunder and lightning gave voice to the night,
The little lame child cried aloud in her fright,
Hush little baby, a story I'll tell,
Of a love that has conquered the powers of hell.

Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!
Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!

Sweetness in the air and justice on the wind
Laughter in the house where the mourners have been
The deaf shall have music, the blind have new eyes
The standards of death taken down by surprise.

Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!
Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!

Release for the captives, an end to the wars
New streams in the desert, new hope for the poor,
The little lame children will dance as they sing,
And play with the bears and the lions in spring.

Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!
Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!

Hush little baby, let go of your fear,
The lord loves his own and your mother is here,
The child fell asleep as the lantern did burn,
The mother sang on 'til her bridegroom's return.

Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!
Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!

“Higher Ground”

~Lyrics: Johnson Oatman, Jr., Music: Charles H. Gabriel, 1892

I’m pressing on the upward way,
new heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
still praying as I’m onward bound,
”Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
by faith, on heavens’ tableland,
a higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
where doubts arise and fears dismay;
tho’ some may dwell where these abound,
my prayer, my aim is higher ground.

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
by faith, on heavens’ tableland,
a higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

I want to live above the world,
tho’ Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
for faith has caught the joyful sound,
the song of saints on higher ground.

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
by faith, on heavens’ tableland,
a higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

I want to scale the utmost height,
and catch a gleam of glory bright;
but still I pray till heav’n I’ve found,
”Lord, lead me onto higher ground.”

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
by faith, on heavens’ tableland,
a higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

“Holy Manna”

~William Moore/The Columbian Harmony

Brethren, we have met to worship and adore the Lord our God.
Will you pray with all your power while we try to preach the word?
All is vain unless the Spirit of the holy One comes down.
Brethren pray, and holy manna will be showered all a-round.

Sisters, will you come and help us? Moses' sisters aided him.
Will you help the trembling mourners who are struggling hard with sin?
Tell them all about the Savior. Tell them that he will be found.
Sisters, pray, and holy manna will be showered all around.

Is there here a trembling jailer, seeking grace and filled with tears?
Is there here a weeping Mary pouring forth a flood of tears?
Brethren, join your cries to help them, sisters, let your prayers abound!
Pray, oh pray that holy manna will be showered all around.

Let us love our God supremely, let us love each other, too.
Let us love and pray for sinners till our God makes all things new.
Christ will call us home to heaven, at his table we'll sit down.
Christ will gird himself and serve us with sweet manna all around.

Jacob’s Ladder to the Sweet By And By

~Traditional folk song with Hymn by S. Fillmore Bennett & Joseph P. Webster, arr. Brent Holl

We are climbing Jacob's ladder
We are climbing Jacob's ladder
We are climbing Jacob's ladder
Brothers, sisters, all

Every rung goes higher and higher
Every rung goes higher and higher
Every rung goes higher and higher
Brothers, sisters, all

Every round a generation
Every round a generation
Every round a generation
Sisters, brothers, all

There’s a land that is fairer than day
And by faith we can see it afar
For the father waits over the way
To prepare us a dwelling place there

In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore

We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blest
And our spirit shall sorrow no more
Not a sign for the blessing of rest

In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore

To our bountiful Father above
We will offer our tribute of praise
For the glorious gift of his love
And the blessings that hallow our days.

In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore

Rise, shine, give God glory
Rise, shine, give God your glory
Rise, shine, give God your glory
Brothers, Sisters, all

“Keep On the Sunny Side”

~Ada Blenkhorn and J. Howard Entwisle

There's a dark and a trouble side of life
There's a bright and a sunny side too
Though we meet with the darkness and strife
The sunny side we also have in view.

So keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help you everyday it will brighten all the way
If you'll keep on the sunny side of life.

Oh the storm in its fury broke today
Crushing hopes that I cherish so dear
Clouds and storms will in time pass away
And the sun again will shine bright and clear.

So keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help you everyday it will brighten all the way
If you'll keep on the sunny side of life.

Let us greet with a song of hope each day
Though the moments be cloudy or fair
Let us trust that our Saviour always
Will keep us everyone in his care.

So keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help you everyday it will brighten all the way
If you'll keep on the sunny side of life.

“Kingsfold” (“I heard the voice of Jesus say”)

~Horatius Bonar/Irish Folk Melody

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest.
Lay down, O weary one, lay down your head upon my breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was, so weary, worn, and sad.
I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Behold I freely give
The living water, thirsty one; stoop down and drink and live."
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream.
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, "I am this dark world's light.
Look unto me, your morn shall rise, and all your day be bright."
I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my star, my sun,
And in that light of life I'll walk till trav'ling days are done.

“Lord of the Dance ”

~Hymn Text - Sydney Carter / Tune - Simple Gifts

I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,
At Bethlehem I had my birth.

Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he

I danced for the scribe and the pharisee,
But they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me.
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John
They came with me and the Dance went on.

Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame;
The holy people said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high,
And they left me there on a Cross to die.

Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he

I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back.
They buried my body and they thought I'd gone,
But I am the Dance, and I still go on.

Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he

They cut me down and I leapt up high;
I am the life that'll never, never die;
I'll live in you if you'll live in me -
I am the Lord Of the Dance, said he.

Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he

“The Love of God”

~Frederick M. Lehman (1917)

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song

_____________________________________________

The Story...

Lines similar to verse 3 are found in the Qur’an (18:109 and 31:27) and in Akdamut, an 11th-century Jewish poem. Frederick Lehman tells us that the English rendition included in his song had reportedly “been found penciled on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum after he had been carried to his grave.” While it is only supposition that the man was the one who translated or adapted the words to leave us these well-known lines, if the account is true it shows in any case that he highly esteemed the message.

https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/The_Love_of_God/

“O Healing River”

~Anonymous/American Folk Hymn

O healing river, send down your waters,
Send down your waters, on this barren ground
O healing river, send down your waters,
and wash the blood from off the sand.

This land is parching, this land is burning,
no seed is growing in the barren ground.
O healing river, send down your waters,
O healing river, send your waters down.

Let the seed of freedom awake and flourish,
let the deep roots nourish, let the tall stalks rise.
O healing river, send down your waters,
O healing river, from out of the skies.

“Restoration” (I Will Arise)

~Anonymous/American Folk Melody; arr. BMH

Far, far away from my loving father, I had been wand’ring wayward, wild,
fearing only lest his anger overtake his sinful child.
Fain had I fed on the husks around me, till to myself I came and said,
”Plenty have my father’s servants, perish I for want of bread.”

I will arise and go to Jesus, he will embrace me in his arms.
In the arms of my dear Savior, oh, there are ten thousand charms.

I will arise, though faint and weary, home to my Father I will go.
Woe to me that e'er I wandered, Ah that I such need should know.
"Father," I'll say, "I have sinned before thee, no more may I be called thy son.
Make me only as thy servant, pity me a wretch undone!"

I will arise and go to Jesus, he will embrace me in his arms.
In the arms of my dear Savior, oh, there are ten thousand charms.

Then I arose and came to my father. Mercy amazing! Love unknown!
He beheld me, ran, embraced me, pardoned, welcomed, called me son!
I will arise and go to Jesus, he will embrace me in his arms.
In the arms of my dear Savior, oh, there are ten thousand charms.

I will arise and go to Jesus, he will embrace me in his arms.
In the arms of my dear Savior, oh, there are ten thousand charms.

“Simple Gifts/Lord of the Dance ”

~Quaker Song / Lyrics by Sydney Carter

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right.