Oh, What Songs of the Heart
Encyclopedia
"Oh, What Songs of the Heart" is a Mormon
hymn
, the text of which was written by Joseph L. Townsend
, a Latter-day Saint poet
who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. The music was written by Latter-day Saint musician William Clayson
. It is one of the few hymns
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that implies the existence of a Heavenly Mother.
Oh, what songs of the heart
We shall sing all the day,
When again we assemble at home,
When we meet ne'er to part
With the blest o'er the way,
There no more from our loved ones to roam!
When we meet ne'er to part,
Oh, what songs of the heart
We shall sing in our beautiful home.
Tho our rapture and bliss
There's no song can express,
We will shout, we will sing o'er and o'er,
As we greet with a kiss,
And with joy we caress
All our loved ones that passed on before;
As we greet with a kiss,
In our rapture and bliss,
All our love ones that passed on before.
Oh, the visions we'll see
In that home of the blest,
There's no word, there's no thought can impart,
But our rapture will be
All the soul can attest,
In the heavenly songs of the heart;
But our rapture will be
In the vision we'll see
Best expressed in the songs of the heart
Oh, what songs we'll employ!
Oh, what welcome we'll hear!
When we kneel at our dear Savior's feet.
And the heart swells with joy
In embraces most dear
When our heavenly parents we meet!
Oh, what songs we'll employ
As the heart swells with joy,
When our heavenly parents we meet!
.
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
, the text of which was written by Joseph L. Townsend
Joseph L. Townsend
Joseph L. Townsend was a writer of many Latter-day Saint hymns.Townsend was born in Canton, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Ohio, Kansas and Missouri. Townsend studied at the University of Missouri. He came to Salt Lake City in 1872 to try and improve his health. While there he...
, a Latter-day Saint poet
LDS poetry
LDS poetry is poetry written by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about spiritual topics or themes. Latter-day Saints have composed religious poetry since the Church's beginnings in the early 19th century. For Latter-day Saints, poetry is a form of art that can bring the...
who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. The music was written by Latter-day Saint musician William Clayson
William Clayson
William Clayson was a Latter-day Saint hymnwriter who wrote the music of "The Day Dawn is Breaking"; "Nearer, Dear Savior, to Thee"; "O Thou Rock of Our Salvation"; "The Iron Rod" and "Oh, What Songs of the Heart"....
. It is one of the few hymns
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hymns
This article is about LDS church hymns in general, for the book, see Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Latter-day Saint hymns come from many sources, and there have been numerous hymn books printed by the Church since its organization in 1830...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that implies the existence of a Heavenly Mother.
Lyrics
Oh, what songs of the heart
We shall sing all the day,
When again we assemble at home,
When we meet ne'er to part
With the blest o'er the way,
There no more from our loved ones to roam!
When we meet ne'er to part,
Oh, what songs of the heart
We shall sing in our beautiful home.
Tho our rapture and bliss
There's no song can express,
We will shout, we will sing o'er and o'er,
As we greet with a kiss,
And with joy we caress
All our loved ones that passed on before;
As we greet with a kiss,
In our rapture and bliss,
All our love ones that passed on before.
Oh, the visions we'll see
In that home of the blest,
There's no word, there's no thought can impart,
But our rapture will be
All the soul can attest,
In the heavenly songs of the heart;
But our rapture will be
In the vision we'll see
Best expressed in the songs of the heart
Oh, what songs we'll employ!
Oh, what welcome we'll hear!
When we kneel at our dear Savior's feet.
And the heart swells with joy
In embraces most dear
When our heavenly parents we meet!
Oh, what songs we'll employ
As the heart swells with joy,
When our heavenly parents we meet!
Current usage
"Oh, What Songs of the Heart" is hymn #286 in the LDS Church's current hymnalHymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985 book)
Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official hymn book of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
.
External links
- "Oh, What Songs of the Heart", words and music at lds.org
- Free MP3 download