You help make Hymnary.org possible.

In 2025, more than 10 million people from 200+ countries found hymns, liturgical resources, and encouragement here. If Hymnary has meant something to you this year, would you take a moment to help sustain it? A gift of any size — and a note of encouragement, if you'd like to share one — directly supports the server costs, research, and curation that keep this resource freely available to the world.

Give securely online today, or mail a check to:
Hymnary.org (c/o Calvin University)
3201 Burton Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Thank you for being part of this important online ministry resource.

We Shall Sleep, But Not Forever

Representative Text

1 We shall sleep, but not forever,
There will be a glorious dawn;
We shall meet to part--no, never,
On the resurrection morn!
From the deepest caves of ocean,
From the desert and the plain,
From the valley and the mountain,
Countless throngs shall rise again.

Refrain:
We shall sleep, but not forever,
There will be a glorious dawn;
We shall meet, to part--no, never,
On the resurrection morn!

2 When we see a precious blossom
That we tended with such care
Rudely taken from our bosom,
How our aching hearts despair!
Round its little grave we linger,
Till the setting sun is low,
Feeling all our hopes have perished
With the flower we cherished so. [Refrain]

3 We shall sleep, but not forever,
In the lone and silent grave:
Blessèd be the Lord that taketh,
Blessèd be the Lord that gave.
In the bright, eternal city,
Death can never, never come!
In His own good time He’ll call us
From our rest to home, sweet home. [Refrain]

Amen.

Source: The Hymnal and Order of Service #604

Author: Mary A. Kidder

Used pseudonym: Minnie Waters… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: We shall sleep, but not forever
Title: We Shall Sleep, But Not Forever
Author: Mary A. Kidder
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #7678
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances in all hymnals

Instances (1 - 1 of 1)
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #7678

Include 68 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us
It looks like you are using an ad-blocker. Ad revenue helps keep us running. Please consider white-listing Hymnary.org or getting Hymnary Pro to eliminate ads entirely and help support Hymnary.org.