Bible Songs — Special Selections

Onward, Christian Soldiers

No. 1397
Tune ONWARD, CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS.
Words Sabine Baring-Gould.
Music Sir Arthur Sullivan.
Key E major
Singing key D major
Time 4/4
5 stanzas

Words

Onward, Christian soldiers!Marching as to war,With the cross of JesusGoing on before.Christ, the royal Master,Leads against the foe;Forward into battle,See, his banners go!

Chorus.

Onward, Christian soldiers!Marching as to war,With the cross of JesusGoing on before.

At the sign of triumphSatan's host doth flee;On, then, Christian soldiers,On to victory!Hell's foundations quiverAt the shout of praise;Brothers, lift your voices,Loud your anthems raise.

Like a mighty armyMoves the Church of God;Brothers, we are treadingWhere the saints have trod;We are not divided,All one body we,One in hope and doctrine,One in charity.

Crowns and thrones have perished,Kingdoms ruled and waned,But the Church of JesusConstant has remained.Gates of hell can never'Gainst that Church prevail;We have Christ's own promise,That can never fail.

Onward, then, ye people!Join our happy throng,Blend with ours your voicesIn the triumph-song;Glory, praise, and honorUnto Christ the King,This through countless agesMen and angels sing.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: hymn number «1397» (large) at the left, title «ONWARD, CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS.» centred (condensed capitals with larger initials); under it the epigraph in one centred line, «"For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle."—Ps. 18 : 39.» (old-style figures; the thin spaces around the colon closed up); «SABINE BARING-GOULD.» (the words, capitals and small capitals; the E of SABINE blotted) at the left and «SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN.» (the music) at the right above system 1; folio «605» at the foot, no other note. No meter, no tune name other than the title, no tempo word, no reference line. The five stanzas are interlinear under the treble staff of systems 1–3, numbered «1.»–«5.» in system 1; «CHORUS.» (bold capitals) stands over the treble in the middle of system 3; the chorus words are printed once — at the end of the third lyric line of system 3 («Onward, Christian sol - diers!») and in the single line of system 4 — and are sung after every stanza. Each printed line of words carries several verse lines; the verse lines are given here one per line, by the 6.5 trochaic lines and the capitals that open them. The print sets a thin space before «!» and «;»; it is closed up here. Words divided under the notes are joined («Chris-tian», «sol - diers», «tri - umph», «Sa - tan's», «might-y», «arm - y», «tread-ing», «Je - sus», «peo - ple», «hap-py», «voi - ces», «Go - ing», «vic - to - ry», «Con - stant», «roy - al», «Mas - ter», «foun - da-tions», «quiv - er», «di - vid - ed», «bod - y», «nev - er», «pre-vail», «Glo - ry», «hon - or», «Un - to», «For-ward», «in - to», «bat - tle», «ban - ners», «char - i - ty», «a - ges», «an - gels», «March - ing», «be - fore»). «triumph-song» is printed as a hyphenated compound and kept so. Elisions and apostrophes as printed, written straight («Satan's», «Hell's», «'Gainst», «Christ's»). Stanza 1, line 4 prints «he-fore.» (a wrong sort «h» for «b»): kept as printed — see uncertainties.md (the chorus prints «be - fore.»).