How can I keep from singing?

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation
I hear the sweet though far off hymn
That hails a new creation:
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth;
What though the darkness gather round!
Songs in the night He giveth:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that refuge clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of Heav’n and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smoothes
Since first I learned to love it:
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His—
How can I keep from singing?

--Robert Lowry (1826-1899) Baptist minister and hymnist

This hymn is gained popularity through the recordings of Pete Seeger, Enya, and most recently Bruce Springsteen. Most recordings follow Seeger's reworking of the lyrics, which removed the Christian references. The lyrics above are the original version, penned by Lowry in 1860. Click here to visit a neat website (if you like old hymns) called "The Cyber Hymnal."

The waterfall above is one of the most visited in the Tri-Cities area --the Blue Hole is a series of four small waterfalls (totaling a drop of 45 feet) outside of Elizabethton, TN. Click here to see my previous posts and to get directions. Click here for a map of the area.