Did you ever attend a church where “In The Sweet By and By” was part of the praise and worship time? I did. And I think, if I close my eyes and listen real close, I can almost hear my Grandmother singing it in her kitchen.
In The Sweet By and By
There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way
To prepare us a dwelling place there.
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blessed;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.
To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise
For the glorious gift of His love
And the blessings that hallow our days.
The words to the song were written by Sanford F. Bennett. He was a druggist in a small town in Illinois. Way back in the 1800’s. And I read an interesting article on how the song came about. I haven’t fact-checked the article. So, I’m not gonna repeat the whole story or link to it. But I liked how the article ended with this.
“There is no deep biblical truth expressed in the song. But it was not intended for that. It was emergency comfort and help for one who was struggling, assuring him that there was a fairer day coming when ‘our spirits shall sorrow no more.’ And that is God’s promise (Rev. 21:4).”
Certain combinations of words intrigue me.
I’m not sure why. But I’ve been that way as far back as I can remember. For example, what does “by and by” mean? Well, it appears to usually mean “at some point in the future” or “eventually”. And I’ve used it that way occasionally over my many years as a writer.
I even sneaked it into the lyrics I’m sharing with you today. It’s not hidden very well, so I’m sure you’ll quickly find it. And I say lyrics because I plan to use the words in a song. However, it’s not a song yet.
But I just felt like sharing this with you as a change of pace from my other heavier articles. Just like “In The Sweet By and By” there’s no “deep Biblical truth.” So, see what you think. Try to stay awake as you read…
The Dreamer’s Lullaby
In those seconds sliding into sleep…
There may be some time you’ll wanna keep.
Grab the minutes tightly in your hand.
Close your eyes and soon you’ll understand.
There’s a place you’re gonna wanna go,
Where it’s always free to see the show.
Colors in the sky will breathe you in.
Close your eyes and let the dreams begin.
Hear the lullaby and by
Way up in the sky so high
Every little sigh you sigh will fly and fly
Into the dreamer’s lullaby.
Dreams are hidden right behind your eyes…
Every night a new and bright surprise…
Fly across the Milky Way in bed.
Just lay down and rest your weary head.
© 2012 Tony Funderburk (September 10)
Stay tuned,
Sign up for my Rhyme and Reason emails. (good stuff for Fa-Ree)
Get my Rhyme & Reason Podcast delivered right to your device. (also Fa-Ree)
My books are also on Amazon.com or Apple Books
Grab yourself an un-cool T-shirt
Or how about some music for kids