Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary ‎#298

298. Sing, My Tongue, How Glorious Battle

1 Sing, my tongue, how glorious battle
Glorious victory became;
And above the cross, His trophy,
Tell the triumph and the fame,
Tell how He, the world's Redeemer,
By His death for us o'ercame.

2 Tell how, when at length the fullness
of th' appointed time was come,
Christ, the Word, was born of woman,
left for us his heavenly home;
showed us human life made perfect,
shone as light amid the gloom.

3 Thus the scheme of our salvation
Was of old in order laid,
That the manifold deceiver's
Art by art might be out-weighed,
And the lure the foe put forward
Into means of healing made.

4 Therefore, when th'appointed fullness
Of the holy time was come,
He was sent, who maketh all things,
Forth from God's eternal home;
Thus He came to earth incarnate,
Offspring of a Virgin's womb.

5 Thirty years among us dwelling,
His appointed time fulfilled,
Born for this, He meets His Passion,
For that this He freely willed,
On the cross the Lamb is lifted
Where His life-blood shall be spilled.

6 Faithful cross! Above all other,
One and only noble tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
None in fruit thy peer may be!
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron!
Sweetest weight is hung on thee.

7 Thou alone wast counted worthy
This world's ransom to uphold;
For a shipwrecked race preparing
Harbor, like the ark of old;
With the sacred blood anointed
From the smitten Lamb that rolled.

8 To the Trinity be glory:
Everlasting, as is meet;
Equal to the Father, equal
To the Son and Paraclete:
O Thou Three in One, whose praises
All created things repeat.

Text Information

• First Line: Sing, my tongue, how glorious battle
• Title: Sing, My Tongue, How Glorious Battle
• Latin Title: Pange lingua
• Author: V. Fortunatus, c. 530-609
• Meter: 87 87 87
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1996
• Topic: Passion of Christ
• Source: Tr. composite

Tune Information

• Name: PICARDY
• Arranger: R. Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958
• Meter: 87 87 87
• Key: d minor
• Source: French folk tune, 1872-1958; Setting: English Hymnal