Bible Songs — Special Selections

We Lay Us down to Sleep

We lay us calmly down to sleep

No. 1393
Tune WE LAY US DOWN TO SLEEP.
Words Anon.
Music Arranged from Schumann's "Traumerei."
Key E-flat major
Singing key E♭ major
Time 4/4
4 stanzas

Words

We lay us calmly down to sleepWhen friendly night is come, and leaveTo God the rest;Whether we wake to smile or weep,Or wake no more on time's fair shore,He knoweth best,He knoweth best.

Refrain.

O Father, bless in love thy child!We lay us down to sleep.

As sinks the sun in western skiesWhen day is done, and twilight dimComes silent on,So fades the world's most luring prizeOn eyes that close in deep reposeTill wakes the dawn,Till wakes the dawn.

Why vex our souls with wearing care?Why shun the grave, for aching headSo cool and low?Have we found life so passing fair,So grand to be, so sweet that weShould dread to go?Should dread to go?

Some other hand the task can take,If so it seemeth best,—the taskBy us begun;No work for which we need to wakeIn joy or grief, for life so brief,Beneath the sun,Beneath the sun.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: hymn number «1393» (large, left), title «WE LAY US DOWN TO SLEEP.» centred (condensed display face: «We Lay Us down to Sleep.», W, L, U, S as full capitals, the rest small capitals); under it the epigraph on one centred line, «"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings."—Ps. 37 : 8.» (old-style figures; the words are Psalm 17:8 — the «37» is the print's, kept); then «ANON.» at the left (words) and «Arranged from SCHUMANN'S "TRAUMEREI."» at the right (music; capitals and small capitals, «Arranged from» in lower-case roman, «TRAUMEREI» without umlaut); no meter, no tune name other than the title, no reference line, no copyright line; the page number «601» under the music. The hymn starts under the end of hymn 1392 («PEACE, BE STILL!—Concluded.»). The four stanzas are interlinear, four lines between the staves of systems 1–2 and the start of system 3, numbered «1.»–«4.» in system 1; each stanza is given here in its seven verse lines (8.8.4.8.8.4.4 syllables; the seventh repeats the sixth, as printed in system 3), each line beginning with a capital as printed. «REFRAIN.» (bold capitals) stands over the treble at the refrain pickup in system 3; the refrain words are printed once, on the second lyric line of system 3 after stanza 2's «Till wakes the dawn.», two verse lines. Syllable hyphens are joined («Wheth-er», «twi- light», «ach-ing», «seem-eth», «be-gun», «re-pose», «Be-neath», «know-eth», «Fa-ther»). The print sets «calmly», «friendly», «western», «silent», «luring», «wearing», «passing», «other» and «knoweth» (system 2) unbroken under two notes, and «Tillwakes», «Shoulddread», «wefound» closed up. The print sets a thin space before «;», «?» and «:» («rest ;», «care ?», «low ?», «gun ;», «37 : 8»); it is closed up here; apostrophes and quotes are written straight («time's», «world's»).