Bible Songs — Miscellaneous

Am I my brother's keeper?

No. 1234
Tune AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?
Words F. E. B.
Music F. E. Belden.
Key G major
Singing key F major
Time 6/8
3 stanzas

Words

Am I my brother's keeper?Or serving self alone?Are none around me betterSince I the way have known?Do any faint or falter,And in the darkness fall,Because my lamp burns dimly,Or gives no light at all?

Chorus.

Where are the brother-keepers,The faithful and the true?Where are the brother-keepers?—What answer offer you?Our hearts should long for othersThe love of Christ to share.Where are the brothers?The Lord asks, Where?

If envy rules the spirit,Perhaps it is becauseA brother's gift is better,As Abel's off'ring was!This rule of truth eternalShall hidden motives tell:They only are acceptedWho do their duties well.

Are there no words of comfortTo cheer the hearts that mourn?Or for the weak and erringNo burdens to be borne?God help us to be brothers,And firm as brothers stand:For love to God and neighborShould travel hand in hand.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: hymn number «1234» (large, left), title «AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?» centred (capitals and small capitals); under it two epigraphs in small type, «"For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous."—1 John 3 : 12, 13.» and «"The Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper?"—Gen. 4 : 9.»; then «(SOLO, OR QUARTETTE:)» centred; «F. E. B.» at the left and «F. E. BELDEN.» at the right; «With expression.» over the first bar. No meter, no reference line. The hymn runs over two pages: the stanzas are interlinear, «1.»–«3.» before the lines of the first system, in three systems of PDF 453 (printed 452) and the first system of PDF 454 (printed 453), whose running title is «AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?—Concluded.»; the chorus, headed «CHORUS. faster.», is printed once (PDF 454, four systems) and is sung after every stanza. «Copyrighted 1886 by F. E. Belden.» is printed under the music of PDF 453, above the page number «452». The print sets a thin space before «?», «!» and «:» («keep - er ?», «was !», «tell :», «3 : 12»); it is closed up here. Words divided under the notes are joined («broth - er's», «a - round», «off'r - ing» → «brother's», «around», «off'ring»); each stanza is set in its eight verse lines (the print runs two verse lines on each staff line; «Be- / cause» is divided across the page turn). Italics as printed: «well.» (stanza 2) and «you?» (chorus). Stanza 3, verse 8: «Shouldtrav - el» is printed without a space (written «Should travel»); chorus: «broth - er - keep - ers» is written «brother-keepers» (see uncertainties.md). Spelling («off'ring», «neighbor»), punctuation and capitals are the print's.