The seed I have scat­tered
Iin spring­time with weep­ing,
And wa­tered with tears
And with dews from on high;
Another may shout
When the har­vest­er’s reap­ing,
Shall ga­ther my grain
In the sweet by and by.

Refrain

Over and ov­er, yes, deep­er and deep­er
My heart is pierced through
With life’s sor­row­ing cry,
But the tears of the sow­er
And songs of the reap­er
Shall min­gle to­ge­ther in joy by and by.
By and by, by and by,
By and by, by and by,
Yes, the tears of the sow­er
And songs of the reap­er
Shall min­gle to­ge­ther in joy by and by.

Another may reap
What in spring­time I’ve plant­ed,
Another re­joice
In the fruit of my pain,
Not know­ing my tears
When in sum­mer I faint­ed
While toil­ing sad-heart­ed
In the sun­shine and rain.

Refrain

The thorns will have choked
And the sum­mer suns blast­ed
The most of the seed
Which in spring­time I’ve sown;
But the Lord who has watched
While my wea­ry toil last­ed
Will give me a har­vest
For what I have done.

Refrain