Thou art drifting down life's river

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Thou art drifting down life's river

Author: Peter P. Bilhorn
Tune: [Thou art drifting down life's river]
Published in 6 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Thou art drifting down life's river,
Drifting t'ward a sea,
From whose shore no bark returneth,
'Tis Eternity.

Chorus:
Thou art drifting, thou art drifting,
Drifting to Eternity;
Thou art drifting, thou art drifting,
Drifting to Eternity.

2 At its mouth lie rocks tremendous,
Blacker than despair,
Many a noble bark, my brother,
Has been shipwrecked there. [Chorus]

3 Hark! the wild white waves are foaming,
Hungry, fierce, and bold,
O'er the shattered vessel dashing,
Dreadful, icy, cold. [Chorus]

4 But beyond these raging billows,
Lies a happy shore,
Where the saints, redeemed through Jesus,
Dwell forevermore. [Chorus]

5 Oh! my friend, thy bark shall never
Reach that happy shore,
Till the Lord becomes your Pilot,
He will guide thee o'er. [Chorus]

6 Call Him with entreaty urgent,
Call Him near thy side,
Then o'er roughest, darkest billows,
Safely thou shalt glide. [Chorus]

Source: Crowning Glory No. 1: a choice collection of gospel hymns #115

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Author: Peter P. Bilhorn

Pseudonyms: Irene Durfee; P. H. Roblin (a anagram of his name). Bilhorn was born on July 22, 1865 in Mendota, Illinois. His family name was originally Pulhorn; it was changed by a judge in Ottawa, Illinois, named Abraham Lincoln. Peter and his brother formed the Eureka Wagon and Carriage Works in Chicago, Illinois. Later, Peter became involved in Gospel music and wrote some 2,000 Gospel songs in his lifetime. He also invented a folding pump organ used at revivals in the late 19th Century, and founded the Bilhorn Folding Organ Company in Chicago, Illinois. His evangelistic work took him into all the states of the Union, Great Britain, a… Go to person page >

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