Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling

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Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling

Author: Will L. Thompson (1880)
Tune: [Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling]
Published in 746 hymnals

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	Softly and Tenderly

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	Softly and Tenderly

Representative Text

1 Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
see, on the portals he's waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.

Refrain:
Come home, come home;
you who are weary come home;
earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home!

2 Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not his mercies,
mercies for you and for me? [Refrain]

3 Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
passing from you and from me;
shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
coming for you and for me. [Refrain]

4 O for the wonderful love he has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me. [Refrain]

United Methodist Hymnal, 1989

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Author: Will L. Thompson

Will Lamartine Thompson (1847-1909) Born: November 7, 1847, East Liverpool, Ohio. Died: September 20, 1909, New York, New York. Buried: Riverview Cemetery, East Liverpool, Ohio. Rebuffed in an early attempt to sell his songs to a commercial publisher, Thompson started his own publishing company. He later expanded, opening a store to sell pianos, organs and sheet music. Both a lyricist and composer, he ensured he would always remember words or melodies that came to him at odd times: "No matter where I am, at home or hotel, at the store or traveling, if an idea or theme comes to me that I deem worthy of a song, I jot it down in verse. In this… Go to person page >

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Related Texts

First Line:	Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling
Title:	Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling
Author:	Will L. Thompson (1880)
Meter:	11.7.11.7 with refrain
Language:	English
Refrain First Line:	Come home, come home
Copyright:	Public Domain

English

10 shown out of 154

Spanish

Oramos Cantando = We Pray In Song #775

Welsh

Cân a Mawl: llyfr hymna a thonau Methodistiaid Calfinaidd Unol Dalaethau yr America=Song and Praise: the hymnal of the Calvinistic Methodist Church of the United States of America #277

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Tune

[Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling]

All tunes published with 'Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling'^ top

For Leaders

Bulletin Blurb
Worship Notes
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This hymn invites us to come and accept God's mercy together. The first stanza and refrain give the picture that Jesus is gently calling, like a mother after her small children. The second stanza reminds us that there is nothing to be gained by delay, especially when the third warns that death is coming sooner or later. The final stanza entices us with a promise of love, pardon, and mercy that is wonderfully available for those who wish to accept it.

Text:

This text was written by Will L. Thompson and first published in 1880 by his own music company, Will L. Thompson and Co., in Sparkling Gems, edited by J. Calvin Bushey. The text has four stanzas and a refrain, although the third stanza (“Time is now fleeting”) is sometimes omitted. Other hymnals alter the third line of that stanza from “deathbeds are coming” to “death's night is coming.” Carlton Young has called this song a lullaby, writing “This attribute contributes to the continuing popularity of this genre of religious song that presents Jesus as waiting, caring, and forgiving in intimate – and for many, compelling – metaphors” (Companion to the United Methodist Hymnal, p. 600).

Tune:

Will Thompson's tune is called either SOFTLY AND TENDERLY, after the text for which it was written, or THOMPSON, after the composer. The structure of the tune fits the lullaby idea well, for it is in triple meter and has fairly simple harmony, though the conclusion of the first phrase in the refrain is chromatic.

When/Why/How:

This is a hymn of invitation that could be used at funerals or memorial services. An instrumental setting could provide a time of silent contemplation on the end of this life. A string quartet setting of “Softly and Tenderly” trades the melody around between members, and includes an optional third violin as a substitute for viola. Another suggestion is to have the choir or a soloist sing the hymn, particularly if many in the congregation are unfamiliar with it. “Softly and Tenderly” is a vocal arrangement that can be performed by anything from a soloist to a choir. A medley of gospel hymns of invitation, “Come Home” includes “Just As I Am,” “Softly and Tenderly,” and “Jesus is Tenderly Calling” in a simple choral arrangement with piano accompaniment. An a capella choral setting, “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling,” prominently features a soloist.

Tiffany Shomsky,
Hymnary.org

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Baptist Hymnal 1991 #312

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The Cyber Hymnal #6175

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The United Methodist Hymnal #348

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Worship and Rejoice #348

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Page Scans

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RitualSong (2nd ed.) (2016), p.1471

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Instances

Instances (1 - 44 of 44)

PowerPoint SOFTLY AND TENDERLY (Hymnal for Worship & Celebration 326) SOFTLY AND TENDERLY JESUS IS CALLING (United Methodist Hymnal 348) SOFTLY AND TENDERLY JESUS IS CALLING (Lift Up Your Hearts 615) SOFTLY AND TENDERLY (Baptist Hymnal 1991 - 312) SOFTLY AND TENDERLY (Celebration Hymnal 479)
Piano/Organ Last-Second Solutions (Hymn Preludes for the Busy Organist) As Though the Whole Creation Cried - Volume 2 AMAZING GRACE More Piano/Organ...
Choral Softly and Tenderly Softly and Tenderly Softly and Tenderly More Choral...
Handbells Softly and Tenderly Ring for Joy! – Volume 2 (Easy Reproducible Hymn Medleys for Prayer and Rejoicing) Ring for Joy! – Volume 2 (Easy Reproducible Hymn Medleys for Prayer and Rejoicing) More Handbells...

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Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling

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