Introduction

Words: Fan­ny Cros­by, in Songs of De­vo­tion, ed­it­ed by How­ard Doane (New York and Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: Big­low & Main, 1870), num­ber 559.

Music: Dni­pro W. How­ard Doane (🔊 pdf nwc).

This song was played on Au­gust 8, 1885, when Am­eri­can pre­si­dent Ulys­ses S. Grant was in­terred in Ri­ver­side Park, on the banks of the Hud­son Ri­ver.

At the close of one of Mr. San­key’s meet­ings in Glas­gow, Scot­land, a wo­man said to him: Mr. San­key, I want to tell you about my daugh­ter, Mag­gie. She was con­vert­ed when you were here eight years ago, but has gone home to hea­ven, and I want to tell you what she said when she was dy­ing.

She asked me to get her lit­tle hymn-book, and when I brought it she asked me to turn to No. 25, say­ing: I want to sing it. Why, my child, said I, you are not able to sing. Yes, she said, I want to sing one more song be­fore I go; will you please turn to the twen­ty-fifth hymn, Safe in the Arms of Je­sus. I found it for her and she be­gan to sing these lines:

Hark, ’tis the voice of an­gels
Borne in a song to me,
Over the fields of glo­ry,
Over the jas­per sea.

Her voice then seemed to fail her, and she said, Mo­ther, lift me up. I put my arm un­der her and lift­ed my poor girl up, then she raised her eyes to hea­ven and whis­pered, Je­sus, I am com­ing; Je­sus I am com­ing. The doc­tor who was stand­ing by her side, said, How can you sing when you are so weak?

She re­plied: Je­sus helps me to sing. Je­sus helps me to sing.

With these words up­on her lips she died in my arms.

The lit­tle hymn book was laid up­on the girl’s breast and bur­ied with her.

Jackson, p. 11

Lyrics

Safe in the arms of Je­sus,
Safe on His gen­tle breast,
There by His love o’er­shad­ed,
Sweetly my soul shall rest.
Hark! ’tis the voice of an­gels,
Borne in a song to me.
Over the fields of glo­ry,
Over the jas­per sea.

Refrain

Safe in the arms of Je­sus,
Safe on His gen­tle breast
There by His love o’er­shad­ed,
Sweetly my soul shall rest.

Safe in the arms of Je­sus,
Safe from cor­rod­ing care,
Safe from the world’s temp­ta­tions,
Sin can­not harm me there.
Free from the blight of sor­row,
Free from my doubts and fears;
Only a few more tri­als,
Only a few more tears!

Refrain

Jesus, my heart’s dear re­fuge,
Jesus has died for me;
Firm on the Rock of Ag­es,
Ever my trust shall be.
Here let me wait with pa­tience,
Wait till the night is ov­er;
Wait till I see the morn­ing
Break on the gold­en shore.

Refrain