Before the Lord we bow

Representative Text

1 Before the Lord we bow,
The God who reigns above,
And rules the world below,
Boundless in power and love;
Our thanks we bring
In joy and praise,
Our hearts we raise
To heaven's high King.

2 The nation Thou hast blest
May well Thy love declare,
From foes and fears at rest,
Protected by Thy care.
For this fair land,
For this bright day,
Our thanks we pay--
Gifts of Thy hand.

3 May every mountain height,
Each vale and forest green,
Shine in Thy word's pure light,
And its rich fruits be seen!
May every tongue
Be tuned to praise,
And join to raise
A grateful song.

4 Earth! hear thy maker's voice,
The great Redeemer own,
Believe, obey, rejoice,
And worship Him alone;
Cast down thy pride,
Thy sin deplore,
And bow before
The Crucified.

5 And when in power He comes,
O may our native land,
From all its rending tombs,
Send forth a glorious band;
A countless throng
Ever to sing
To heaven's high King
Salvation's song.

Hymnal: according to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, 1871

Author: Francis Scott Key

Frances Scott Key USA 1779-1843. Born in Frederick County, MD, and educated at St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, a devout Episcopalian, he practiced law in Washington, DC for four decades. He was U.S. District Attorney for the District of Columbia until his death. He argued some of his cases at the Supreme Court. Key served briefly in a Georgetown militia unit. He married Mary Tayloe Lloyd in 1802, and they had eleven children: Elizabeth, Maria, Francis, John, Anna. Edward, Daniel, Philip, Ellen, Maria, and Charles. He also wrote a few hymn lyrics. During the War of 1812, which Key was against, the British invaded the U.S. and burned the White House, Capitol Building, and Library of Congress. One of Key’s friends, Dr. William B… Go to person page >

Tune

DARWALL

Composed by John Darwall (b. Haughton, Staffordshire, England, 1731; d. Walsall, Staffordshire, England, 1789), DARWALL'S 148TH was first published as a setting for Psalm 148 in Aaron William's New Universal Psalmodist (1770) with only soprano and bass parts. The harmonization dates from the ninete…

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HAREWOOD (Wesley)


Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 7 of 7)
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #419

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Lutheran Worship #500

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Christian Worship (1993) #618

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Evangelical Lutheran Worship #893

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Lutheran Service Book #966

Praise y Adoración #91a

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Christian Worship #775

Include 65 pre-1979 instances
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