Scripture Verse

The little hills rejoice on every side. Psalm 65:12

Introduction

Words: Charles E. Oak­ley (1832–1865). First pub­lished in 1870.

Music: Dar­wall’s 148th John Dar­wall, in The New Uni­vers­al Psal­mo­dist, by Aar­on Will­iams, 1770 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Oak­ley or Dar­wall (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Hills of the North, re­joice;
River and moun­tain spring,
Hark to the ad­vent voice;
Valley and low­land, sing;
Though ab­sent long, your Lord is nigh;
He judg­ment brings and vic­to­ry.

Isles of the south­ern seas,
Deep in your cor­al caves
Pent be each war­ring breeze,
Lulled be your rest­less waves:
He comes to reign with bound­less sway,
And makes your wastes His great high­way.

Lands of the East, awake,
Soon shall your sons be free;
The sleep of ag­es break,
And rise to li­ber­ty.
On your far hills, long cold and gray,
Has dawned the ev­er­last­ing day.

Shores of the ut­most West,
Ye that have wait­ed long,
Unvisited, un­blest,
Break forth to swell­ing song;
High raise the note, that Je­sus died,
Yet lives and reigns, the Cru­cified.

Shout, while ye jour­ney home;
Songs be in ev­ery mouth;
Lo, from the North we come,
From East, and West, and South.
City of God, the bond are free,
We come to live and reign in thee!