Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.
Refrain
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone.
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God to Thee.
Refrain
There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.
Refrain
Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.
Refrain
Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.
Refrain
There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,
There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest;
Age after age to be, nearer my God to Thee.
Refrain
Words: Sarah Adams, 1841
From Hymnary.org,
Adams, Sarah, nee Flower. b. at Harlow, Essex, Feb. 22nd, 1805; d. in London, Aug. 14, 1848, and was buried at Harlow, Aug. 21,1848. She was the younger daughter of Mr. Benjamin Flower, editor and proprietor, of The Cambridge Intelligencer; and was married, in 1834, to William B. Adams, a civil engineer. In 1841 she pub. Vivia Perpetua, a dramatic poem dealing with the conflict of heathenism and Christianity, in which Vivia Perpetua suffered martyrdom; and in 1845, The Flock at the Fountain; a catechism and hymns for children. As a member of the congregation of the Rev. W. J. Fox, an Unitarian minister in London, she contributed 13 hymns to the Hys. and Anthems, pub. by C. Fox, Lond., in 1841, for use in his chapel. Of these hymns the most widely known are— u Nearer,my God,to Thee," and "He sendeth sun, He sendeth shower." The remaining eleven, most of which have come into common use, more especially in America, are :—
1. Creator Spirit! Thou the first. Holy Spirit.
2. Darkness shrouded Calvary. Good Friday.
3. Gently fall the dews of eve. Evening.
4. Go, and watch the Autumn leaves. Autumn.
5. O hallowed memories of the past. Memories.
6. O human heart! tbou hast a song. Praise.
7. O I would sing a song of praise. Praise.
8. O Love ! thou makest all things even. Love.
9. Part in Peace ! is day before us ? Close of Service.
10. Sing to the Lord ! for His mercies are sure. Praise.
11. The mourners came at break of day. Easter.
Mrs. Adams also contributed to Novello's musical edition of Songs for the Months, n. d. Nearly all of the above hymns are found in the Unitarian collections of G. Brit, and America. In Martineau's Hymns of P. and P., 1873, No. 389, there is a rendering by her from Fenelon: —" Living or dying, Lord, I would be Thine." It appeared in the Hys. and Anthems, 1841.
-John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
