For Us He Became Poor

Top Media Text Author Text Info Tune Timeline Page Scans Instances

Over the dark wave of Galilee

Author: William Russell
Published in 42 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 O’er the dark wave of Galilee
The gloom of twilight gathers fast,
And on the waters drearily
Descends the fitful evening blast.

Refrain:
Beasts have their lairs,
And birds their downy nests,
But the Son of God
Hath not where to lay His head.

2 The weary bird hath left the air
And sunk into his shelter’d nest;
The wand’ring beast has sought his lair
And laid him down to welcome rest. [Refrain]

3 Still near the lake, with weary tread
Lingers a form of human kind,
And on His lone unshelter’d head
Flows the chill night damp of the wind. [Refrain]

4 Why seeks He not a home of rest?
Why seeks He not a pillow’d bed?
Beasts have their dens, the bird its nest;
He hath not where to lay His head. [Refrain]

Source: The Helper in Sacred Song: for Sunday-schools, churches, and devotional services #78

All representative texts • Compare texts ^ top

Author: William Russell

Russell, William, was born in Glasgow in 1798, and educated at the University of Glasgow. Removing from Scotland to America, he was at Savannah in 1817, and subsequently at other places in the United States. He was an active promoter of education, teachers' associations, and kindred objects, and did much to further the cause of education in the States. He was originally a Baptist, but did not hold to close communion. He died at Lancaster, Massachusetts, Aug. 16, 1873. His hymn, "O'er the dark wave of Galilee" (Christ in Solitude), begins with st. iii. of a poem written by him at the request of Dr. Ware, editor of the Unitarian Christian Examiner, and printed therein in 1826. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnolo… Go to person page >

^ top

Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	Over the dark wave of Galilee
Title:	For Us He Became Poor
Author:	William Russell
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

^ top

Tune

FEDERAL STREET

Henry Kemble Oliver (b. Beverly, MA, 1800; d. Salem, MA, 1885) composed FEDERAL STREET in 1832, possibly as an imitation of earlier psalm tunes in long meter. He took it to a music class taught by Lowell Mason (who may have contributed to the harmony); Mason (PHH 96) published it in his Boston Acade…

Go to tune page >

[Over the dark wave of Galilee] (Hugg)

[Over the dark wave of Galilee] (Staples)

All tunes published with 'For Us He Became Poor'^ top