Look back to Calvary

Top Text Author Text Info Tune Timeline Instances

Look back dear friends to Calvary

Author: J. W. Ferrill
Tune: [Look back dear friends to Calvary]
Published in 3 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Look back dear friends to Calvary,
And Jesus there in anguish see
Tho' tears, your vision may becloud,
Behold the dying Son of God.

Refrain:
Could ye have stood serenely by,
And heard His agonizing cry:
My God, my God, they heard Him say
Oh, "Why hast Thou forsaken me."

2 Suspended on the cruel tree,
To suffer untold misery,
While in distress He loudly cried,
It seemed that God had turned aside. [Refrain]

3 The noon-day sun refused to shine,
And darkness hovered o'er the land;
Still Jesus moaned in deep dispair,
His pain was more than He could bear. [Refrain]

4 At last His Spirit took it's flight,
The darkness faded into light;
The Savior slowly dropped His head,
Alas the Son of God was dead. [Refrain]

Source: The New Wonderful Songs for Work and Worship #134

All representative texts • Compare texts ^ top

Author: J. W. Ferrill

Born: October 31, 1879, Texas. Died: May 13, 1975, Park Place Nursing Home, Mart, Texas. Buried: Faulkenberry Cemetery, Groesbeck, Texas. James W. Ferrill was born on Oct. 31, 1879, and raised on a farm at Davis Prairie near Thornton in Limestone County, TX, outside of Grosbeck and about thirty miles east of Waco. His family were members of the church of Christ, and he became a Christian too. At about age fifteen he began his study of music under J. E. Thomas and Franklin L. Eiland. After graduating from North Texas Normal College at Denton, TX, where he received his teacher’s degree, he began conducting singing schools with his first one at Forace Chapel near Grosbeck in 1901. Continuing to teach singing schools regularly fr… Go to person page >

^ top

Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	Look back dear friends to Calvary
Title:	Look back to Calvary
Author:	J. W. Ferrill
Refrain First Line:	Could you have stood serenely by
Copyright:	Public Domain