I was glad when they said unto me,
Psalm 122:1Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Words: F. E. Blanchard, 1921.
Music: Haldor Lillenas (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know Blanchard’s full name, or where to get a good photo of him (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
There’s a dear little church in the village,
Near the spot where I first saw the day;
Where in childhood I learned of the Savior,
As the Life, and the Truth, and the Way.
Refrain
O come to the church in the village,
O come while the bells sweetly chime,
O come from the hills and the valleys,
And list to the Gospel sublime;
O come to the church in the village,
O come while the bells sweetly chime,
O come to the church in the village,
Seek God, while still there is time.
There it stands, when the bright sun is shining,
Where the broad, spreading trees cast their shade,
Then at eve, when the sun has descended,
See it stand in the twilight arrayed.
Refrain
Then the light, shining thro’ stainèd windows
Sifting out, shimmers into the night,
Giving all that it touches new beauty,
And dispelling the darkness with light.
Refrain
Thus the darkness and blindness that bound me
Were removed in that dear, sacred place,
And no matter how far I may wander,
’Twill be dear till the end of my race.
Refrain