He [shall] send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Mark 13:27
Words: C. W. Byron, 1900. Arranged by James E. Thomas in New Hosannas, by Thomas et al. (Fort Worth, Texas: Quartet Music, 1906), number 84.
Music: Walter L. Rose (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know Byron’s full name, or where to get a good photo of him or Rose (head-and-shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels), or a better one of Thomas, would you ?
The song was captioned Dedicated to the Cowboys of Texas.
Though obviously not intended for a traditional worship service, it is an apt analogy for the angels’ prophesied gathering of believers at the end of the age. The term round up
refers to the process of collecting livestock for branding, shipping to market, etc. In a parallel to the seals on believers’ foreheads (Revelation 7:3), animal brands are a permanent, indelible sign of ownership.
I’ve been thinking today
As my thoughts began to stray;
Your memory to me’s worth more than gold;
As you ride upon the plain
Midst the sunshine and the rain,
You’ll be rounded up within the Master’s fold.
Refrain
We’ll be rounded up in glory by and by;
We’ll be rounded up in glory by and by;
When the milling time is o’er,
And we stampede no more,
We’ll be rounded up in glory by and by.
May we lift our voices high
Till the glorious by and by,
And be known by all thro’ God’s own brand of love;
For His property we are,
And He’ll know us from afar,
And will round us up in glory by and by.
Refrain
As we look upon the plain
To the cowboys who have fain
While the raging storm and lightning flashes by;
We will meet to part no more
On that happy golden shore
When we’re rounded up in glory by and by.
Refrain