You help make Hymnary.org possible. More than 10 million people from 200+ countries found hymns, liturgical resources and encouragement on Hymnary.org in 2025, including you. Every visit affirms the global impact of this ministry.

If Hymnary has been meaningful to you this year, would you take a moment today to help sustain it? A gift of any size—paired with a note of encouragement if you wish—directly supports the server costs, research work and curation that keep this resource freely available to the world.

Give securely online today, or mail a check to:
Hymnary.org
Calvin University
3201 Burton Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Thank you for your partnership, and may the hope of Advent fill your heart.

O We Are Volunteers

O we are volunteers [soldiers] in the army of the Lord

Author: George F. Root
Tune: [O, we are volunteers in the army of the Lord]
Published in 49 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 O, we are volunteers in the army of the Lord,
Forming into line at our Captain's word;
We are under marching orders to take the battlefield,
And we'll ne'er give o'er the fight till the foe shall yield.

Chorus:
Come, and join the army, the army of the Lord,
Jesus is our Captain, we rally at His word;
Sharp will be the conflict with the pow'rs of sin,
But with such a Leader, we are sure to win.

2 The glory of our flag is the emblem of the dove,
Gleaming are our swords from the forge of love;
We go forth, but not to battle for earthly honors vain.
Tis a bright immortal crown that we seek to gain. [Chorus]

3 Our foes are in the field, pressing hard on ev'ry side,
Envy, anger, hatred, with self and pride;
They are cruel, fierce and strong, ever ready to attack;
We must watch, and fight, and pray, if we'd drive them back. [Chorus]

4 O, glorious is the struggle in which we draw the sword,
Glorious is the Kingdom of Christ, our Lord;
It shall spread from sea to sea, it shall reach from shore to shore,
And His people shall be blessed for evermore. [Chorus]

Source: International Song Service: with Bright Gems from fifty authors, for Sunday-schools, gospel meetings, missionary and young people's societies, prayer-meetings, etc. #135

Author: George F. Root

Root, George F., MUS. DOC, born in Sheffield, Berkshire County, Mass., Aug. 30, 1820. He is much more widely known as a composer of popular music than as a hymn writer. Four of his hymns are in I. D. Sankey's Sacred Songs & Solos, 1878. Nos. 16, 100, 293, and 297. A sympathetic biographical sketch, with portrait, is in The Tonic Sol-Fa Reporter, Sep. 1886. He died Aug. 6, 1895. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O we are volunteers [soldiers] in the army of the Lord
Title: O We Are Volunteers
Author: George F. Root
Language: English
Refrain First Line: Come and join the army
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #11986
  • PDF (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer Score (NWC)

Instances

Instances (1 - 1 of 1)
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #11986

Include 48 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us
It looks like you are using an ad-blocker. Ad revenue helps keep us running. Please consider white-listing Hymnary.org or getting Hymnary Pro to eliminate ads entirely and help support Hymnary.org.