O We Are Voluntters

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O we are volunteers [soldiers] in the army of the Lord

Author: George F. Root
Tune: [O, we are volunteers in the army of the Lord]
Published in 49 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 O, we are volunteers in the army of the Lord,
Forming into line at our Captain's word;
We are under marching orders to take the battlefield,
And we'll ne'er give o'er the fight till the foe shall yield.

Chorus:
Come, and join the army, the army of the Lord,
Jesus is our Captain, we rally at His word;
Sharp will be the conflict with the pow'rs of sin,
But with such a Leader, we are sure to win.

2 The glory of our flag is the emblem of the dove,
Gleaming are our swords from the forge of love;
We go forth, but not to battle for earthly honors vain.
Tis a bright immortal crown that we seek to gain. [Chorus]

3 Our foes are in the field, pressing hard on ev'ry side,
Envy, anger, hatred, with self and pride;
They are cruel, fierce and strong, ever ready to attack;
We must watch, and fight, and pray, if we'd drive them back. [Chorus]

4 O, glorious is the struggle in which we draw the sword,
Glorious is the Kingdom of Christ, our Lord;
It shall spread from sea to sea, it shall reach from shore to shore,
And His people shall be blessed for evermore. [Chorus]

Source: International Song Service: with Bright Gems from fifty authors, for Sunday-schools, gospel meetings, missionary and young people's societies, prayer-meetings, etc. #135

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Author: George F. Root

Root, George F., MUS. DOC, born in Sheffield, Berkshire County, Mass., Aug. 30, 1820. He is much more widely known as a composer of popular music than as a hymn writer. Four of his hymns are in I. D. Sankey's Sacred Songs & Solos, 1878. Nos. 16, 100, 293, and 297. A sympathetic biographical sketch, with portrait, is in The Tonic Sol-Fa Reporter, Sep. 1886. He died Aug. 6, 1895. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)… Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	O we are volunteers [soldiers] in the army of the Lord
Title:	O We Are Voluntters
Author:	George F. Root
Language:	English
Refrain First Line:	Come and join the army
Copyright:	Public Domain