Years Are Coming

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Years are coming, speed them onward

Author: Adin Ballou
Published in 8 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Piano/Organ
	Hyfrydol - for Bass Instrument and Piano

Choral
	Let the Children Sing! (Favorite Unison/…

Instrumental
	Festival Hymns for Organ, Brass, and Tim…

Representative Text

1 Years are coming, speed them onward
when the sword shall gather rust,
and the helmet, lance, and falchion
sleep at last in silent dust.
Earth has heard too long of battle,
heard the trumpet's voice too long.
But another age advances,
Seers foretold in ancient song.

2 Years are coming when forever
war's dread banner shall be furled,
and the angel Peace be welcomed,
regent of a happy world.
Hail with song that glorious era,
when the sword shall gather rust,
and the helmet, lance and falchion
sleep at last in silent dust.

Source: Singing the Living Tradition #166

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Author: Adin Ballou

Ballou, Adin. (Cumberland, Rhode Island, April 23, 1803--August 5, 1890, Hopedale, Massachusetts). At the age of nineteen he was accepted as a minister in the Christian Connexion, but later entered the Universalist ministry and served churches in Milford, Mass.; New York City; and in Mendon and Hopedale, Mass. He is noted as founder of the famous Hopedale community (1842), an experiment in "practical Christianity." A hymn by him, beginning "Years are coming--speed them onward" was included in Church Harmonies, 1873, in Hymns of the Church, 1917, and in Hymns of the Spirit, 1937. --Henry Wilder Foote, DNAH Archives Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	Years are coming, speed them onward
Title:	Years Are Coming
Author:	Adin Ballou
Meter:	8.8.7.8.5
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Tune

ST. CLARE (Eyre)

RATHBUN

This story is associated with the writing of RATHBUN: One Sunday in 1849 Ithamar Conkey (b. Shutesbury, MA, 1815; d. Elizabeth, NJ, 1867) walked out of the morning service at Central Baptist Church, Norwich, Connecticut, where he was choir director and organist, frustrated because only one soprano f…

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HYFRYDOL

One of the most loved Welsh tunes, HYFRYDOL was composed by Rowland Hugh Prichard (b. Graienyn, near Bala, Merionetshire, Wales, 1811; d. Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, 1887) in 1830 when he was only nineteen. It was published with about forty of his other tunes in his children's hymnal Cyfaill y Cant…

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