Hymn
Our Fathers; Where Are They?
How swift the torrent rolls
That bears to us to the sea!
The tide that hurries thoughtless souls
To vast eternity!
Our fathers, where are they,
With all they call'd their own?
Their joys and griefs, and hopes and cares,
And wealth and honour, gone.
There, where the fathers lie,
Must all the children dwell;
Nor other heritage possess,
But such a gloomy cell.
God of our fathers! hear,
Thou everlasting friend!
While we, as on life’s utmost verge,
Our souls to thee commend.
Of all the pious dead
May we the footsteps trace,
Till with them, in the land of light,
We dwell before thy face.
Our Fathers; Where Are They? — Text from A Collection of Hymns and A Liturgy, 1814. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/our-fathers-where-are-they
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Questions about this hymn
Who wrote Our Fathers; Where Are They?
The words of Our Fathers; Where Are They were written by Philip Doddridge; the version here was published in 1814. The library holds 55 more hymns by Philip Doddridge, including Christ, Precious to them that Believe and Relieving Christ in His Members.
Is Our Fathers; Where Are They public domain?
Yes. The words here are taken from A Collection of Hymns and A Liturgy, published in 1814. 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.
What is the metre of Our Fathers; Where Are They?
Our Fathers; Where Are They is in Short Metre (6.6.8.6). Hymns in the same metre can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, Soldiers of Christ, Arise, And Can I Yet Delay and I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord.