Hymns for every occasion
Evening hymns
Evening hymns are some of the gentlest the church sings. They give thanks for the day that is ending, confess what went wrong in it, and commit body and soul to God's keeping through the night. They grew up with evening prayer — vespers and compline in the old offices, and the Sunday evening service many churches still keep.
Choose them for an evening or candlelit service, a hymn sing that ends at dusk, the last night of a camp, or a bedside. Some, like “Now the Day Is Over,” were written for children; others, like “Abide with Me,” use the close of day as a picture of the close of life and are often sung at funerals too. The list starts with the most widely sung. All are in the public domain.
For a candlelit service, print the words in advance so people are not reading screens in the dark, and choose tunes the congregation can sing softly. Several of these hymns can be sung unaccompanied, verse by verse, between readings or prayers.
Print all lyricsBuild an order of service
Most widely sung
Ranked by how many hymnals print them (Hymnary.org), with chord-charted hymns first.
- Abide With Me — Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
- Sun of my soul, Thou Savior Dear — Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear,
- An Evening Hymn — Glory to Thee, my God, this night,
- Now the Day Is Over — Now the day is over,
- Evening Prayer — Savior, breath an evening blessing
- Evening: Memorials of His Grace — Thus far the Lord hath led me on,
- Day Is Dying in the West — Day is dying in the west;
- Evening Song — The day is past and gone,
- At Even, Ere the Sun Was Set — At even, when the sun was set,
- The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended — The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The full list
- The Day is Past and Over — The day is past and over;
- An Evening Hymn — Great God, to Thee my evening song,
- An Evening Hymn — Now from the altar of our hearts
- An Evening Psalm — Lord, thou wilt hear me when I pray!
- The Shadows of the Evening Hours — The shadows of the evening hours
- Softly Fades the Twilight Ray — Softly fades the twilight ray,
- An Evening Song — Dread Sov'reign! let my evening song
- Again, as evening's shadow falls — Again, as evening's shadow falls,
- Evening Shades — Silently the shades of evening
- Evening Hymn — Fading, still fading, the last beam is shining;
- Light at Evening Time — Holy Father, cheer our way
- Evening — How do Thy mercies close me round!
Questions about evening hymns
What are the best-known evening hymns?
“Abide with Me,” “The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended,” “Now the Day Is Over,” “Day Is Dying in the West” and “Sun of My Soul, Thou Savior Dear” are among the best known. All are on this page.
Can I print these evening hymns?
Yes. The words are in the public domain in the United States.