1 I am thinking of friends whom I used to know,
Who lived and suffered in this world below;
They've gone up to heaven; but I want to know,
What they are doing now?
Refrain:
What are they doing in heaven today?
Where sin and sorrow are all done away,
And peace abounds like a river, they say;
O what are they doing there now?
2 There were some whose hearts were burdened with cares,
They passed their moments in sighing and tears,
They clung to the cross with trembling and fears,
But what are they doing now? [Refrain]
3 There were some whose bodies were full of disease,
Medicine nor doctor could give them much ease;
They suffered till death brought a final release,
But what are they doing now? [Refrain]
4 There were some who were poor and often despised;
They looked to heaven through tear-blinded eyes,
While people were heedless and deaf to their cries,
But what are they doing now? [Refrain]
Source: Yes, Lord!: Church of God in Christ hymnal #179
Charles Albert Tindley was born in Berlin, Maryland, July 7, 1851; son of Charles and Hester Tindley. His father was a slave, and his mother was free. Hester died when he was very young; he was taken in my his mother’s sister Caroline Miller Robbins in order to keep his freedom. It seems that he was expected to work to help the family. In his Book of Sermons (1932), he speaks of being “hired out” as a young boy, “wherever father could place me.” He married Daisy Henry when he was seventeen. Together they had eight children, some of whom would later assist him with the publication of his hymns.
Tindley was largely self-taught throughout his lifetime. He learned to read mostly on his own. After he and Daisy moved to Philadelphia… Go to person page >
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