Waiting for Christ

How long, O Lord our Saviour

No. 833
Metre 7s & 6s. D.
Tune WEBB.
Words Anon.
Music George J. Webb.
Key B-flat major
Singing key B♭ major
Time 4/4
3 stanzas

Words

How long, O Lord our Saviour,Wilt thou remain away?Our hearts are growing wearyOf thy so long delay.O when shall come the moment,When, brighter far than morn,The sunshine of thy gloryShall on thy people dawn?

How long, O gracious Master,Wilt thou thy household leave?So long hast thou now tarried,Few thy return believe.Immersed in sloth and folly,Thy servants, Lord, we see;And few of us stand readyWith joy to welcome thee.

O, wake thy slumbering people;Send forth the solemn cry;Let all the saints repeat it,—"The Saviour draweth nigh!"May all our lamps be burning,Our loins well girded be,Each longing heart preparingWith joy thy face to see.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: running head «WAITING FOR CHRIST—CLOSING WORK.»; hymn number «833» (large), tune name «WEBB. 7s & 6s. D.» centred over the music (condensed capitals; the «D.» in a smaller size), «GEORGE J. WEBB.» at the right (capitals and small capitals). Stanza 1 is interlinear, one line per system, with «1.» before «How»: system 1 = verse lines 1–3, system 2 = verse lines 4–6; verse line 7 is printed in italics as a second line under the end of system 1, preceded by «D. S.—», and verse line 8 in italics as a second line under the start of system 2; they are sung there after the «D. S.» at the end of system 2 (the music returns to the segno over «Our» and ends at «Fine.» after «delay.»). Stanza 1 below is assembled in the order sung. «Saviour», «remain», «growing», «weary», «moment», «brighter», «sunshine», «people» are set unbroken under the staves; «a - way?», «de-lay.», «glo-ry» are hyphenated there. The italic reference line «357, 246.» (= the same words may be sung to the tunes of hymns 357 or 246) stands under the music; stanzas 2–3 follow as text in the left column, numbered «2», «3» (written «2.», «3.» here, as in the other deliveries of this book), with «Anon.» in italics after stanza 3. Lines 2, 4, 6, 8 of each stanza are indented in the print. The print sets a thin space before «;» and «!» («we see ;», «nigh !»); it is closed up here. Quotation marks are written straight. Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's.