| A less reverent look | More about... | single verse only |
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You are cordially invited to join in all 8 verses:
1. For all the saints, who from their labours rest
Who Thee by faith, before the world confest,
Thy Name, O Jesus be for ever blest,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
2. Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
Thou Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou in the darkness drear their one true Light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
3. O may thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win, with them, the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
4. O blest communion! fellowship divine!
We fight as they did 'neath the holy sign;
And all are one in thee for all are Thine:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
5. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long;
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, and arms are strong:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
6. The golden evening brightens in the west
Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blest:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
7. But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on his way.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
8. From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest
coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
MIDI - 1st verse only
MIDI - full 8 verses including irregularities
Words: Bishop William Walsham How (1823-1897)
Tune: 'Sine nomine' by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
There are even 3 additional verses not seen in the Parish Hymn Book viz
For the apostles' glorious
company,
who bearing forth the cross o'er land and sea,
shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Evangelists, by whose
blest word,
like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
is fair and fruitful, be thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For Martyrs, who with rapture
kindled eye,
saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
and seeing, grasped it, thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
"All Praise to Thee, for thou, O King Divine" has been sung to "Sine Nomine" although officially sung to "ENGELBERG"
Much has been made on this website of Hymn 159 "For
all the Saints" and it's status as the unofficial school
song.
What I feel has not been mentioned so far is the recognition
which should be attributed to Mr. Eric Morris, in elevating this
hymn to something of an aural artform, with his virtuoso
performance of the dramatic 'irregularities' of the later verses.
Standing there within the massed ranks of pupils, as far from the
front as possible, the dramatic sweep and tonal range emanating
from the school organ led one to believe that the Second Coming
had actually commenced !
The sense of anti-climax trooping out of the hall down the
corridor to lessons was tangible.
Still, a good preparation for life itself, don't you think ?? [Damian
Hickey]