Bible Songs — Invitation

Are You Ready?

Soon the evening shadows, falling,

No. 1297
Tune ARE YOU READY?
Words J. W. Slaughenhaupt.
Music Rev. E. S. Lorenz.
Key E-flat major
Singing key E♭ major
Time 4/4
4 stanzas

Words

Soon the evening shadows, falling,Close the day of mortal life;Soon the hand of death appallingDraws thee from its weary strife.

Chorus.

Are you ready? Are you ready?'Tis the Spirit calling, why delay?Are you ready? Are you ready?Do not linger longer, come to-day.

Soon the awful trumpet soundingCalls thee to the judgment throne;Now prepare; for love aboundingYet has left thee not alone.

O how fatal 'tis to linger!Art thou ready—ready now?Ready, should Death's icy fingerLay its chill upon thy brow?

Priceless love and free salvationFreely still are offered thee;Yield no longer to temptation,But from sin and sorrow flee.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: hymn number «1297» (large, left), title «ARE YOU READY?» centred (condensed capitals and small capitals, «Are You Ready?»); on the next line «J. W. SLAUGHENHAUPT.» at the left (words), the epigraph «"Art thou ready?"—Matt. 24 ; 44.» in the centre (old-style figures; a semicolon between chapter and verse, kept as printed) and «REV. E. S. LORENZ.» at the right (music), both names in capitals and small capitals. No meter, no tune name other than the title, no reference line, no running head. All four stanzas are interlinear, numbered «1.»–«4.», between the staves of systems 1–2; each printed line of words carries two verse lines, given here one verse line per line. «CHORUS.» (bold capitals) stands over system 3; the chorus words are printed once, under systems 3–5, in two lines: the upper line (soprano and tenor) and, shifted under it, «Are you ready?» four times (alto and bass, sung under the held notes of the upper voices) — given below after the chorus. Under the music, centred: «From "Heavenly Carols," by permission.». The print sets a thin space before «!», «?», «;» and «:» («life ;», «now ?», «read - y ?», «24 ; 44»); it is closed up here; curly quotes and apostrophes are written straight. Spelling and punctuation are the print's.