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Advent Hymnals

Hymns and Tunes 1886 47

High in the heavens, eternal God

Music: Sigismund NeukommTune: AmesL.M.

Studio

1High in the heavens, eternal God,
Thy goodness in full glory shines;
Thy truth shall break through every cloud
That vails thy just and wise designs.

2Forever firm thy justice stands,
As mountains their foundations keep;
Wise are thy counsels, and thy hands
Thy judgments are a mighty deep.

3O God, how excellent thy grace,
Whence all our hope and comfort spring!
The sons of Adam, in distress,
Fly to the shadow of thy wing.

4In thy provisions of thy house
We shall find a continual feast;
There mercy like a river flows,
And brings salvation to our taste.

Tune
Ames
Also sung to
Stockton (Christ in Song #308)
Meter
L.M.

Public Domain

The verse

Meter
8.8.8.8 · as printed
Foot
iambic (da-DUM) · 58% of beats fit
Rhyme
ABCB
Scan every line

/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary · * a word sung short, as “heav’n”

Verse 1

High in the heavens, eternal God,/˘˘/˘/˘/8A*
Thy goodness in full glory shines;//˘˘//˘/8B
Thy truth shall break through every cloud//˘///˘/8C
That vails thy just and wise designs.˘///˘/˘/8B

Verse 2

Forever firm thy justice stands,˘/˘///˘/8A
As mountains their foundations keep;˘/˘˘˘/˘/8B
Wise are thy counsels, and thy hands/˘//˘˘//8A
Thy judgments are a mighty deep.//˘˘˘/˘/8B

Verse 3

O God, how excellent thy grace,˘///˘˘//8A
Whence all our hope and comfort spring!//˘/˘/˘/8B
The sons of Adam, in distress,˘/˘/˘˘˘/8C
Fly to the shadow of thy wing./˘˘//˘//8B

Verse 4

In thy provisions of thy house˘/˘/˘˘//8A
We shall find a continual feast;˘˘/˘˘/˘˘/9B
There mercy like a river flows,//˘/˘/˘/8C
And brings salvation to our taste.˘/˘/˘˘˘/8D

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.