Scripture Verse

Each one had a harp…and they sang a new song. Revelation 5:8–9

Introduction

Words: Fran­ces R. Ha­ver­gal, 1871.

Music: Her­mas Fran­ces R. Ha­ver­gal, Psal­mo­dy (Lon­don: 1871) (🔊 pdf nwc) (does not use re­frain be­low).

Alternate Tunes:

  • Lyræ French tune, in The Sun­day School Cho­ris­ter (Mil­wau­kee Wis­con­sin: Young Church­man, 1891), num­ber 37 (🔊 pdf nwc) (us­es re­frain)
  • St. The­re­sa Ar­thur S. Sul­li­van, 1874 (🔊 pdf nwc) (us­es re­frain)
portrait
Frances R. Havergal (1836–1879)

Origin of the Hymn

The Ha­ver­gal ma­nu­scripts con­tain the fol­low­ing ac­count of the wri­ting of this hymn: When vis­it­ing at Par­ry Barr, Miss Ha­ver­gal walked to the boys’ school­room, and be­ing ve­ry tired she leaned against the play­ground wall, while Mr. Snepp went in. Re­turn­ing in ten min­utes, he found her scrib­bling on an old en­vel­ope. At his re­quest she gave him the hymn just pen­ciled, Gold­en Harps Are Sound­ing. Her po­pu­lar tune, Her­mas, was com­posed for the hymn.

Price, p. 46

Lyrics

Golden harps are sound­ing, an­gel voic­es sing,
Pearly gates are op­ened, op­ened for the King;
Jesus, King of glo­ry, Je­sus, King of love,
Is gone up in tri­umph, to His throne above.

He who came to save us, He who bled and died,
Now is crowned with glo­ry at His Fa­ther’s side.
From the grave aris­en, ne­ver­more to die;
Jesus, King of glo­ry, is gone up on high.

Pleading for His child­ren in that bless­èd place,
Calling them to glo­ry, send­ing them His grace;
His bright home pre­par­ing, faith­ful ones, for you;
Jesus ev­er liv­eth, ev­er lov­eth, too.

Refrain

All His suf­fer­ing end­ed, joy­ful­ly we sing,
Jesus hath as­cend­ed! Glo­ry to our king!