1 Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.
2 Heaven's arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming Thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in great humility.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.
3 The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest
In the shade of the forest tree;
But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God,
In the deserts of Galilee.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.
4 Thou camest, O Lord, with the living word
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn, and with crown of thorn,
They bore Thee to Calvary.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.
5 When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying "Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee."
My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
When Thou comest and callest for me.
Baptist Hymnal, 1991
First Line: | Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown |
Title: | Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne |
Author: | E. S. Elliot (1864) |
Meter: | Irregular |
Language: | English |
Notes: | Spanish translation: See "Tu dejaste tu trono y corona por me" |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
Liturgical Use: | Scripture Songs |
Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy Kingly crown. Emily E. S. Elliott. [Christmas.] First privately printed, 1864, for the use of the choir and schools of St. Mark's Church, Brighton, and first published by the authoress in the Church Missionary Juvenile Instructor, 1870, p. 188; and again in her Chimes for Daily Service, 1880, p. 99, in 5 stanzas of 6 lines. It was repeated in Wilson's Service of Praise, 1865; Alton's Children's Worship, 1878; Mrs. Brock's Children's Hymn Book, 1881; Church Praise, 1883, &c, and is given in full, and almost in the 1880 text as No. 374 in the Scottish Free Church Hymn Book, 1882. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Emily S. Elliott wrote this hymn in 1864 for St. Mark's Church in Brighton, England. Her father was rector there. It was first printed in leaflets, but Elliott later published it in the Church Missionary Juvenile Instructor, which she edited. She revised it for publication in one of her hymn collections, Chimes for Daily Service, in 1880.
This text in irregular meter has five stanzas and a refrain. There are actually two refrains, one for stanzas 1-4, and one for the final stanza. The theme is the life of Jesus, with references to various passages in the Gospels. The first two stanzas focus on Christ’s advent and birth, and the middle stanza briefly states how Jesus lived on earth. The fourth stanza describes the nature of His death, while the last stanza anticipates the end of a Christian's life when the ascended Christ will call the believer home.
MARGARET is the only tune to which this hymn is sung today. It was written and named by Timothy R. Matthews for this text, and was published with it in 1876 in Children's Hymns and Tunes. This tune is sometimes called ELLIOTT after the author of the text. The irregular meter of the text makes it difficult to find a suitable tune, but the rhythm of this tune accommodates the varying number of syllables per line very well. This makes it easier to use for congregational singing.
Though this hymn is often associated with Advent and Christmas, the fact that it refers to the whole scope of Jesus' life makes it suitable for use at any time of year. If it is used for Christmas, try singing only the first two stanzas and the last, as in the choral anthem "Come to My Heart," which has flexible, simple vocal parts and optional cello part. The refrain of this hymn is frequently used as a climactic point in contemporary choral anthems such as "Will You Make Room?" and "Light a Candle in the Night."
Tiffany Shomsky, Hymnary.org