1 You ask me where I get the joys
That make my heart so light,
Which all the gloom of day destroys
And gives me songs at night.
Refrain:
Hallelujah! I belong to the King,
I am saved now, and I have a right to sing,
For the light from heaven fills my soul,
And the night has passed away.
2 It is not wealth of land or gold,
Nor health or honored fame,
But joys of heaven in my soul
A heav'n in Jesus' name. [Refrain]
3 I once was full of anxious fear,
I tried, but failed to see,
That all I needed was so near
The Christ that died for me. [Refrain]
4 I counted much upon my state
Of goodness, sense, and birth,
These only added to my fate,
They had no place or worth. [Refrain]
5 I then gave up myself and all,
And trusted to His care,
Who sees the sparrows e'er they fall,
And left my burden there. [Refrain]
6 I wish I had the tongue to tell
The comfort then was given,
How my poor soul was brought from hell,
And carried almost to heav'n. [Refrain]
Source: Songs of Zion #51
Charles Albert Tindley was born in Berlin, Maryland, July 7, 1851; son of Charles and Hester Tindley. His father was a slave, and his mother was free. Hester died when he was very young; he was taken in my his mother’s sister Caroline Miller Robbins in order to keep his freedom. It seems that he was expected to work to help the family. In his Book of Sermons (1932), he speaks of being “hired out” as a young boy, “wherever father could place me.” He married Daisy Henry when he was seventeen. Together they had eight children, some of whom would later assist him with the publication of his hymns.
Tindley was largely self-taught throughout his lifetime. He learned to read mostly on his own. After he and Daisy moved to Philadelphia… Go to person page >
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