Lead gently, Lord, and slow,
  For oh, my steps are weak,
And ever as I go,
  Some soothing sentence speak;

That I may turn my face
  Through doubt's obscurity
Toward thine abiding-place,
  E'en tho' I cannot see.

For lo, the way is dark;
  Through mist and cloud I grope,
Save for that fitful spark,
  The little flame of hope.

Lead gently, Lord, and slow,
  For fear that I may fall;
I know not where to go
  Unless I hear thy call.

My fainting soul doth yearn
  For thy green hills afar;
So let thy mercy burn -- 
  My greater, guiding star!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

• by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906), "A Hymn - After reading "Lead, kindly light."", appears in Lyrics of the Hearthside, first published 1899 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Lead gently, lord", 2009 [ SATB chorus and organ ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Wynn Leo Boyd (b. 1902), "Lead gently, Lord", published 1964 [ voice and piano ], in the collection American Art Songs [sung text not yet checked]

The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:

• by Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork (b. 1941), "Accountability / A Hymn / An Ante-Bellum Sermon", 1994, from Common Ground: An Operatic Songfest, no. 9
  • View the full text. [sung text not yet checked]
    

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 100