The Little Brown Church

Representative Text

1 There's a church in the valley by the wildwood,
No lovelier spot in the dale;
No place is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale.

Refrain:
Come to the church in the wildwood,
Oh, come to the church in the vale;
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale.

2 Oh, come to the church in the wildwood,
To the trees where the wild flowers bloom;
Where the parting hymn will be chanted,
We will weep by the side of the tomb. [Refrain]

3 How sweet on a clear Sunday morning,
To list to the clear ringing bell;
Its tones so sweetly are calling,
Oh, come to the church in the vale. [Refrain]

4 From the church in the valley by the wildwood,
When day fades away into night,
I would fain from this spot of my childhood
Wing my way to the mansions of light. [Refrain]


Source: Hymns for a Pilgrim People: a congregational hymnal #306

Author: William S. Pitts

William Savage Pitts MD USA 1830-1918. Born at Yates, NY, the son of Puritans, he was the 8th of nine children. He had musical ability from an early age, taking formal music lessons from a graduate of the Boston Handel & Hadyn Society. At age 19, he traveled with his family to Rock County, WI, where he worked as a rural music schoolteacher in Union, WI. He taught for several years, there and at singing schools, and for brass bands, composing much of their music. In 1857 he traveled to Fredericksburg, IA, to visit his fiancee, Ann Eliza Warren, a teacher. Along the way he stopped his horse-drawn wagon at Bradford, IA, to rest. He walked across a field and saw a picturesque wooded valley formed by the Cedar River. Viewing the spot, h… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: There's a church in the valley by the wildwood
Title: The Little Brown Church
Author: William S. Pitts
Language: English
Refrain First Line: Come to the church in the wildwood
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

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The Cyber Hymnal #3807
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