Scripture Verse

Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Psalm 63:3

Introduction

Words: George B. Chee­ver, Chris­tian Me­lo­dies 1851.

Music: Lov­ing-Kind­ness, folk hymn (🔊 pdf nwc). Pub­lished in The Chris­tian Lyre, Vol­ume 1, by Jo­shua Lea­vitt, 1831. Ka­ther­ine Diehl at­trib­ut­ed it to Will­iam Cald­well, be­fore 1830. It was sub­se­quent­ly pub­lished in Cald­well’s Un­ion Har­mo­ny, 1837.

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

portrait
George B. Cheever
(1807–1890)

Lyrics

Thy lov­ing-kind­ness, Lord, I sing,
Of grace and life the sac­red spring—
In blood o’er­flow­ing, rich and free,
In lov­ing-kind­ness shed for me.

Refrain

Loving-kind­ness, lov­ing-kind­ness,
His lov­ing-kind­ness, oh, how free!

I to Thy mer­cy seat re­pair,
And find Thy lov­ing-kind­ness there;
And when to Thy sweet Word I go,
Thy lov­ing-kind­ness there I know.

Refrain

Each ev­en­ing from the world apart,
Thy lov­ing-kind­ness cheers my heart;
And when the day sa­lutes my eyes,
Thy lov­ing-kind­ness doth arise.

Refrain

Lord, from the mo­ment of my birth,
I’ve no­thing known but love on earth;
By day, by night, wher­e’er I be,
Thy lov­ing-kind­ness fol­lows me.

Refrain

From dai­ly sin and dai­ly woe,
Thy lov­ing-kind­ness saves me now;
And I will praise, for sins for­giv­en,
Thy lov­ing-kind­ness, all, in Hea­ven.

Refrain