Skip to content

A copy of Advent Hymnals. Open this page on adventhymnals.org →

Christ in Song 727

No Abiding City Here

Words: J. AnsticeMusic: J. B. Dykes

Studio

1We have no a-bid-ing ci-ty here, Sad truth, were this
Our rest; But for-ward still we press, through good and ill,
Se-cure of rest A-bove; For we have Christ for all.

2Here faith and pa-tience we may learn, And they shall
Our home; But let us not think to find our rest down here,
For the Lord's good Will we bow, With love to Him, and trust to His.

3And now we go for-ward on our way, With songs in-stead of tears,
To en-ter in at the e-ter-nal gates, That stand al-ways
A-jar; For the Lord's good Will we bow, With love to Him, and trust to His.

Copyright 1900 by F. E. Belden

The verse

Meter
13.13.12
Foot
iambic (da-DUM) · 31% of beats fit
Rhyme
ABC
Scan every line

/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary

Verse 1

We have no a-bid-ing ci-ty here, Sad truth, were this˘˘˘˘/˘/˘///˘˘13A
Our rest; But for-ward still we press, through good and ill,/˘/˘/˘/˘///˘/13B
Se-cure of rest A-bove; For we have Christ for all.˘/˘/˘/˘˘˘/˘/12C

Verse 2

Here faith and pa-tience we may learn, And they shall//˘/˘˘˘/˘˘˘11A
Our home; But let us not think to find our rest down here,/˘/˘/˘˘/˘//˘///15B
For the Lord's good Will we bow, With love to Him, and trust to His.˘˘//˘˘/˘/˘˘˘/˘˘15C

Verse 3

And now we go for-ward on our way, With songs in-stead of tears,˘/˘//˘˘/˘/˘///˘/16A
To en-ter in at the e-ter-nal gates, That stand al-ways˘/˘˘˘˘˘/˘/˘///14B
A-jar; For the Lord's good Will we bow, With love to Him, and trust to His.˘/˘˘//˘˘/˘/˘˘˘/˘˘17C

Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.