The Cyber Hymnal ‎#9985

9985. Only A River Between Us

1 Only a river between us,
Parting our dear ones awhile;
Only a veil that divides us,
Hiding the light of their smile:
Only a sigh and a struggle,
Only a moment of pain;
Then, mid the splendors of Eden,
We shall behold them again.

2 Only a place that is vacant,
When to our Savior we bend;
Only a strain that is missing,
When our devotions we blend:
Only a voice, and a footstep,
Only a clasp of the hand,
Drawing us onward and upward,
Home to the bright promised land.

3 Tho’ ’neath the clods of the valley
Forms that we cherish may sleep,
God has commissioned His angels,
Watch o’er our loved ones to keep.
Only the leaves of the vine-tree,
Wither and languish and die;
God hath hath transplanted its branches,
Garnered its fruits in the sky.

4 Only a moment of anguish,
When at the Jordan we part;
Only a silver cord broken,
Hushing each throb of the heart:
After the storm, ’twill be sunshine,
After our labor, repose;
Then we shall meet where the morning,
Never, no never, will close.

Text Information

• First Line: Only a river between us
• Title: Only A River Between Us
• Author: Fanny Crosby (1903)
• Meter: 87.87 D
• Language: English
• Copyright: Public Domain

Tune Information

• Name: WINTER PARK
• Composer: Ira Allan Sankey (1903)
• Meter: 87.87 D
• Key: E♭ Major
• Copyright: Public Domain