Bible Songs — Missionary Songs

Watch and Pray

Watch and pray that when the Master cometh,

No. 1255
Tune WATCH AND PRAY.
Words Fanny J. Crosby.
Music W. J. Kirkpatrick.
Key E-flat major
Singing key E♭ major
Time 4/4
4 stanzas

Words

Watch and pray that when the Master cometh,If at morning, noon, or night,He may find a lamp in ev'ry window,Trimmed and burning, clear and bright.

Chorus.

Watch and pray, the Lord commandeth;Watch and pray, 'twill not be long:Soon he'll gather home his loved onesTo the happy vale of song (of song).

Watch and pray; the tempter may be near us;Keep the heart with jealous care,Lest the door a moment left unguarded,Evil thoughts may enter there.

Watch and pray, nor let us ever weary;Jesus watched and prayed alone:Prayed for us when only stars beheld him,While on Olive's brow they shone.

Watch and pray, nor leave our post of duty,Till we hear the Bridegroom's voice:Then with him the marriage feast partaking,We shall evermore rejoice.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: hymn number «1255» (large, left), title «WATCH AND PRAY.» centred (condensed capitals with larger initials); under it, in one line, «FANNY J. CROSBY.» at the left (words), the epigraph «"Watch ye, therefore, and pray always."—Luke 21 : 36.» in the middle (the figures blotted) and «W. J. KIRKPATRICK.» at the right (music), the names in capitals and small capitals; no meter, no reference line and no running head. It is not the song of the same title on the facing page (hymn 1254). The four stanzas are interlinear, four lines between the staves of systems 1–2, numbered «1.»–«4.» in system 1; each stanza is four verse lines, given here as the verse lines of the poem (the staff break falls after the second verse line). «CHORUS.» is printed over the treble staff at the start of system 3. The chorus has TWO lines of words between the staves: the upper line belongs to soprano and alto, who hold long notes («Watch and pray, . . . . . the Lord command - - - eth;» — the dots and hyphens are leaders under the held notes), the lower line to tenor and bass, who repeat the words on running notes; at «To the happy vale of» the lower line is blank and all the voices sing the upper line; in the last bar the alto sings «(of song).» (in parentheses in the upper line) and the tenor «the happy vale of song.» (lower line) while soprano and bass hold «song». The chorus is given here once, after stanza 1, in the words of the upper line, the lower line after it. Syllable hyphens are joined («Mas-ter», «com-eth», «morn-ing», «ev-'ry» → «ev'ry», «win-dow», «burn-ing», «temp-ter», «jeal-ous», «mo-ment», «un-guarded» → «unguarded», «E-vil», «en-ter», «ev-er», «wea-ry», «Je-sus», «on-ly», «be-held», «Ol-ive's», «du-ty», «mar-riage», «par-tak-ing», «ev-er-more», «re-joice», «gath-er», «hap-py»). The print sets a thin space before «;» and «:» («near us ;», «alone :», «long :»); it is closed up here. Apostrophes and quotation marks are written straight («ev'ry», «'twill», «he'll», «lov'd»). The lower chorus line has «lov'd ones,» the first time and «loved ones» the second, the upper line «loved ones»: as printed. «Trimmed» and the second «'twill not be long:» of the lower line are set in a condensed face (to fit the line). Under the music: «From "Songs of Joy and Gladness," by per.» (centred) and the page number «473». Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's («Master», «Bridegroom's», «Olive's», «him»).