English poem
When Jesus Comes.
by Hezekiah Butterworth (1839–1905)
Down life's dark vale we wander Till Jesus comes; We watch and wait and wonder Till Jesus comes.
Both words and music are by Mr. Bliss. A relative of his family, J.S. Ellsworth, says the song was written in Peoria, Illinois, in 1872, and was suggested by a conversation on the second coming of Christ, a subject very near his heart. The thought lingered in his mind, and as he came down from his room, soon after, the verses and notes came to him simultaneously on the stairs. Singing them over, he seized pencil and paper, and in a few minutes fixed hymn and tune in the familiar harmony so well known.
No more heart-pangs nor sadness When Jesus comes; All peace and joy and gladness When Jesus comes.
The choral abounds in repetition, and is half refrain, but among all Gospel Hymns remarkable for their tone-delivery this is unsurpassed in the swing of its rhythm.
All joy his loved ones bringing When Jesus comes. All praise thro' heaven ringing When Jesus comes. All beauty bright and vernal When Jesus comes. All glory grand, eternal When Jesus comes.