Life's Railway to Heaven

Life is like a mountain railroad

Author: M. E. Abbey
Tune: [Life is like a mountain railroad] (Tillman)
Published in 90 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI, Recording

Representative Text

1 Life is like a mountain railroad,
With an engineer that’s brave;
We must make the run successful
From the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels,
Never falter, never quail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle,
And your eye upon the rail.

Refrain:
Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach the blissful shore,
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.

2 You will roll up grades of trial,
You will cross the bridge of strife;
See that Christ is your conductor
On this lightning train of life;
Always mindful of obstruction,
Do your duty, never fail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle,
And your eye upon the rail. [Refrain]

3 You will often find obstructions,
Look for storms and wind and rain;
On a fill or curve or trestle,
They will almost ditch your train;
Put your trust alone in Jesus;
Never falter, never fail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle,
And your eye upon the rail. [Refrain]

4 As you roll across the trestle,
Spanning Jordan’s swelling tide;
You behold the Union Depot
Into which your train will glide;
There you’ll meet the Sup’rintendent,
God the Father, God the Son,
With the hearty, joyous plaudit,
“Weary pilgrim, welcome home.” [Refrain]


Source: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #366

Author: M. E. Abbey

Abbey was a Baptist minister in Georgia in the 1890s. Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Life is like a mountain railroad
Title: Life's Railway to Heaven
Author: M. E. Abbey
Meter: 8.7.8.7 D with refrain
Language: English
Refrain First Line: Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #4010
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (1 - 11 of 11)
TextPage Scan

African American Heritage Hymnal #472

TextPage Scan

African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #366

Clarion Call #61

New Songs of Inspiration (vol. one) #168

Audio

Small Church Music #5625

Text

Songs of Zion #68

TextPage Scan

The A.M.E. Zion Hymnal #555

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #4010

TextPage Scan

The New National Baptist Hymnal (21st Century Edition) #474

Text

Timeless Truths #434

TextPage Scan

Yes, Lord! #387

Include 79 pre-1979 instances
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