The Cyber Hymnal ‎#11587

11587. That Beautiful City

1 I know that afar in God’s boundless realm,
Perhaps ’mid the starry spaces,
Lies the promised home of the saints redeemed,
Replete with celestial graces;
In dreams I have walked on the streets of gold,
As I sought for my own fair dwelling;
And voices I knew and loved of old,
I’ve heard in the music swelling.

Refrain:
That beautiful city is home to me,
Each day it is growing dearer;
And voices that call from beyond the sea
Are drawing me nearer and nearer.

2 That beautiful city with jasper walls,
Ne’er closes its pearly portals,
And the healing power of its holy light
Sweeps over the blest immortals;
There sorrow and tears shall be wiped away,
In the dawn of an endless morning,
Our triumphs of faith like stars shall shine—
Bright crowns for the soul’s adorning. [Refrain]

3 The longings of life shall be satisfied,
The fetters of earth be broken,
And the words imprisoned within the soul,
With rapture shall then be spoken;
The music that sorrow hath hushed awhile,
And the silence of life’s sad story,
Shall leap into songs of perfect joy,
Attuned to eternal glory. [Refrain]

Text Information

• First Line: I know that afar in God’s boundless realm
• Title: That Beautiful City
• Author: Lanta Wilson Smith (1904)
• Refrain First Line: That beautiful city is home to me
• Language: English
• Source: The Finest of Wheat Number Three by George D. Elderkin, Charles C. McCabe, William J. Kirkpatrick, Henry L. Gilmour and Franklin A. Hardin (Chicago: George D. Elderkin, 1904)
• Copyright: Public Domain

Tune Information

• Name: [I know that afar in God’s boundless realm]
• Composer: George Wicker Elderkin
• Key: C Major
• Copyright: Public Domain