The Clanging Bells of Time

O the clanging bells of time

Author: Ellen M. H. Gates
Tune: [O the clanging bells of Time]
Published in 26 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 O the clanging bells of Time!
Night and day they never cease;
We are wearied with their chime,
For they do not bring us peace;
And we hush our breath to hear,
And we strain our eyes to see,
If thy shores are drawing near,—
Eternity!
If thy shores are drawing near,—
Eternity!

2 O the clanging bells of Time!
How their changes rise and fall,
But in under tone sublime,
Sounding clearly thro’ them all,
Is a voice that must be heard,
As our moments onward flee,
And it speaketh aye one word,—
Eternity!
And it speaketh aye one word,—
Eternity!

3 O the clanging bells of Time!
To their voices loud and low,
In a long, unresting line
We are marching to and fro;
And we yearn for sight or sound,
Of the light that is to be,
For the breath doth wrap us round,—
Eternity!
For the breath doth wrap us round,—
Eternity!

4 O the clanging bells of Time!
Soon their notes will all be dumb,
And in joy and peace sublime,
We shall feel the silence come;
And our souls their thirst will slake,
And our eyes the King will see,
When thy glorious morn shall break,—
Eternity!
When thy glorious morn shall break,—
Eternity!

Source: Sacred Songs No. 2 #74

Author: Ellen M. H. Gates

Gates, Ellen, née Huntingdon, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is the author of several popular pieces in the American Mission and Sunday School hymn-books. Of these the following have passed from the American books into Sankey's Sacred Songs and Solos:— 1. Come home, come home, you are weary at heart. Invitation. 2. I am now a child of God. Saved through Jesus. 3. I will sing you a song of that beautiful land. Concerning Heaven. 4. O the clanging bells of time. Yearning for Heaven. 5. Say, is your lamp burning, my brother. Watching and Waiting. Concerning her poem which is used as a hymn in America, "If you cannot on the ocean" (Duty), Duffield says her account of its origin is as follows:—"The lines were written upo… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O the clanging bells of time
Title: The Clanging Bells of Time
Author: Ellen M. H. Gates
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #1368
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (1 - 1 of 1)
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #1368

Include 25 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us