When the morning comes

Full Text

1 Trials dark on ev'ry hand,
and we cannot understand
All the ways that God would lead us
to that blessed Promised Land;
But He'll guide us with His eye,
and we'll follow till we die;
We will understand it better by and by.

Chorus:
By and by, when the morning comes,
When the saints of God are gathered home,
We will tell the story how we've overcome;
We will understand it better by and by.

2 Oft our cherished plans have failed,
disappointments have prevailed,
And we've wandered in the darkness,
heavyhearted and alone;
But we're trusting in the Lord,
and according to His Word,
We will understand it better by and by. [Chorus]

3 Temptations, hidden snares
often take us unawares.
And our hearts are made to bleed
for some thoughtless word or deed.
And we wonder why the test
when we try to do our best,
We will understand it better by and by. [Chorus]

Source: Baptist Hymnal 2008 #615

Author: Charles Albert Tindley

Rev. Charles A. Tindley, b. July 7, 1851, Berlin, Md., d. July 26, 1933, Philadelphia, Pa.; American Methodist minister and gospel music composer. Born in 1851 to a free mother and a slave father, Tindley spent his childhood among slaves. In his teens he taught himself to read and acquired a fair amount of liberal-arts and theological education, largely through correspondence courses. After having been ordained a Methodist minister, he returned as pastor to a church he had previously served as janitor. Eventually he built the church he headed, in Philadelphia, from some 200 parishioners to a membership of over 12,000 in the 1920s. He wrote some 45 hymns, generally to accompany his own sermons, in almost all cases composing the tunes as wel… Go to person page >

Alterer: B.B. McKinney

Baylus Benjamin McKinney or B. B. McKinney (July 22, 1886 – September 7, 1952) was an American singer, song writer, teacher, and music editor. He was an alumnus of schools such as Louisiana College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. McKinney wrote the words and music to 149 hymns and gospel songs. His most famous are "The Nail Scarred Hand" (1924), "Let Others See Jesus in You" (1924), "Satisfied with Jesus" (1926), "Speak to My Heart" (1927), "'Neath the Old Olive Trees" (1934), "Breathe on Me" (1937), and "Wherever He Leads I'll Go" (1937). B.B. McKinney Chapel, on the ground of the Falls Creek Baptist Encampment in Davis, Oklahoma is named in his honor. --www.wikipedia.org Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Trials dark on every hand
Title: When the morning comes
Author: Charles Albert Tindley (1905)
Alterer: B.B. McKinney (1937)
Meter: Irregular
Source: Songs of Victory
Place of Origin: Nashville, TN
Language: English
Refrain First Line: By and by, when the morning comes
Publication Date: 1937
Copyright: This text may still be under copyright because it was published in 1937.

Notes

This revision of "We are tossed and driven (We'll understand it better by and by)" was produced by B.B. McKinney for Songs of Victory (1937). It reduces and reorders Tindley's original four stanzas into three, with some of the text being heavily edited.

Timeline

Media

Baptist Hymnal 1991 #522

Instances

Instances (4)TextImageAudioScore
Baptist Hymnal 1991 #522TextImageAudioScore
Baptist Hymnal 2008 #615TextImage
Celebration Hymnal #771Image
Sing Joyfully #493TextImage