The Cyber Hymnal ‎#8710

8710. The Rock And The Sand

1 On what are you building, my brother,
Your hopes of an eternal home?
Is it loose shifting sand, or the firm solid rock,
You are trusting for ages to come?

Refrain:
Hearing and doing, we build on the rock;
Hearing alone, we build on the sand;
Both will be tried by the storm and the flood;
Only the rock the trial will stand.

2 On one or the other, my brother,
You are building your hopes day by day;
You are risking your soul on the works that you do,
Will the dark waters sweep you away? [Refrain]

3 Your Savior has warned you, my brother,
I pray you give heed to His voice;
There is life on the rock, but death on the sand;
Oh, brother, pray tell me your choice. [Refrain]

4 No matter how careful, my brother,
The sand for your house you prepare;
’Twill be all swept away when the floods shall descend,
And you be left perishing there. [Refrain]

Text Information

• First Line: On what are you building, my brother
• Title: The Rock And The Sand
• Author: Henry R. Trickett (1878)
• Refrain First Line: Hearing and doing, we build on the rock
• Language: English
• Source: The Helping Hand by William T. Giffe and James H. Rosecrans (Cincinnati: George D. Newhall, 1878)
• Copyright: Public Domain

Tune Information

• Name: [On what are you building, my brother]
• Composer: James Holmes Rosecrans
• Key: A♭ Major
• Copyright: Public Domain