Hymn
The Son of God goes forth to war
The Son of God goes forth to war,
A kingly crown to gain;
His blood-red banner streams afar;
Who follows in His train?
The Son of God, goes forth to war.
Who best can drink his cup of woe,
Triumphant over pain;
Who patient bears his cross below,
He follows in His train.
The martyr first, whose eagle eye
Could pierce beyond the grave;
Who saw his Master in the sky,
And called on Him to save.
Like Him, with pardon on His tongue,
In midst of mortal pain,
He pray'd for them that did the wrong:
Who follows in His train?
A glorious band, the chosen few,
On whom the Spirit came:
Twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
And mocked the cross and flame.
They met the tyrant's brandished steel,
The lion's gory man;
They bowed their necks the death to feel:
Who follows in their train?
A noble army: men and boys,
The matron and the maid;
Around the Saviour's throne rejoice,
In robes of light arrayed.
They climbed the steep ascent of heav'n
Through peril, toil, and pain:
O God, to us may grace be given
To follow in their train.
The Son of God goes forth to war — Text from The Church Hymnal, 1920. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/the-son-of-god-goes-forth-to-war
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Questions about this hymn
Who wrote The Son of God goes forth to war?
The words of The Son of God goes forth to war were written by Reginald Heber; the version here was published in 1920. The library holds 13 more hymns by Reginald Heber, including From Greenland's Icy Mountain and Hosanna to the living Lord!
Is The Son of God goes forth to war public domain?
Yes. The words here are taken from The Church Hymnal, published in 1920. 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 The Son of God goes forth to war?
The Son of God goes forth to war is in Common Metre Double (8.6.8.6 D). Hymns in the same metre can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, I've Found the Pearl of Greatest Price!, The Half Has Never Yet Been Told and Thine Arm, O Lord, in Days of Old.