Hymn

Nearer to Me

I. B. Woodbury

Ho! reaper of life's harvest,

Why stand with rusty blade,

Until the night draws round thee,

And day begins to fade?

Why stand ye idle, waiting

For reapers more to come?

The golden morn is passing,

Why stand ye idle, dumb?

Come down from hill and mountain,

In morning's ruddy glow,

Nor wait until the dial

Points to the noon below;

And come with the strong sinew,

Nor faint in heat or cold;

And pause not till the evening

Draws round its wealth of gold.

Mount up the hights of wisdom,

And crush each error low;

Keep back no words of knowledge

That human hearts should know;

Be faithful to thy mission,

In service of thy Lord,

And soon a golden chaplet

Will be thy rich reward.

Nearer to Me — Text from Christ in Song, 1908. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/nearer-to-me

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Questions about this hymn

Who wrote Nearer to Me?

The words of Nearer to Me were written by I. B. Woodbury; the version here was published in 1908.

Is Nearer to Me public domain?

Yes. The words here are taken from Christ in Song, published in 1908. Works published before 1931 are out of copyright in the United States, so you can print, project, perform and record this hymn freely. How we source and check every hymn.