{"slug": "shall-we-gather-at-the-river", "title": "Shall We Gather at the River", "first_line": "Shall we gather at the river", "author": "robert-lowry", "author_date": "1864", "foot": "trochaic", "meter": {"pattern": [8, 7, 8, 7], "doubled": false, "refrain": true, "alleluia": false, "irregular": false}, "topics": ["Heaven", "River of Life", "Hope", "Gathering", "Eternal Life"], "scripture": ["Revelation 22:1-2", "Ezekiel 47:1", "Psalm 46:4"], "provenance": {"layer": "text", "source": "bright-jewels-1869", "source_kind": "hand_encoded", "pd_evidence": "Robert Lowry (1826-1899), words and music, written 1864 at Hanson Place Baptist Church, Brooklyn, during an epidemic summer; first printed in Happy Voices (1865). Transcribed here from the composer's own collection, Bright Jewels for the Sunday School (New York: Biglow & Main, 1869), p. 110, \"BEAUTIFUL RIVER.\", credited \"R. L.\", headed with Rev. 22:1 \u2014 archive.org item brightjewelsfors00lowr_0, leaf 0114 \u2014 which prints SIX stanzas (1-2 interlinear, 3-6 in a block, each block stanza ending \"Cho.\") and the chorus once. Collated against the reprints in Great Tabernacle Hymns no. 131 (archive.org greatt00weig leaf 0135, four stanzas = 1869's 1, 3, 4, 6, undated, corroboration only) and Make Christ King, 1912, no. 206 (archive.org makechristkingse00exce leaf 0201, four stanzas = 1869's 1, 2, 4, 6). US public domain by publication in 1869; Lowry died 1899, so PD in life+70 jurisdictions as well. PUNCTUATION follows the 1869 page, checked at 3-4x, with TWO type-wear repairs from the collation witnesses, both recorded here: stanza 3 line 3 prints \"We shall meet. and sorrow never\" (a period where the grammar and the reprint read a comma \u2014 encoded \"meet, and\"); stanza 6 line 1 shows no comma after \"river\" where the reprints print one (comma encoded). The chorus's \"riv-er\u2014\" EM-DASH after the second \"beautiful river\" is the 1869 page's own and ships (the reprints print a comma). MCK's \"Flowing FROM the throne\" (stanza 1) is that book's variant; the 1869/GTH \"by\" ships.", "pd_basis": "pub_pre_1931", "pd_jurisdictions": {"US": true}}, "stanzas": {"1": {"syllabified": "Shall we gath -- er at the riv -- er, Where bright an -- gel feet have trod; With its crys -- tal tide for -- ev -- er Flow -- ing by the throne of God?", "prose": ["Shall we gather at the river,", "Where bright angel feet have trod;", "With its crystal tide forever", "Flowing by the throne of God?"]}, "2": {"syllabified": "On the mar -- gin of the riv -- er, Wash -- ing up its sil -- ver spray, We will walk and wor -- ship ev -- er, All the hap -- py, gold -- en day.", "prose": ["On the margin of the river,", "Washing up its silver spray,", "We will walk and worship ever,", "All the happy, golden day."]}, "3": {"syllabified": "On the bos -- om of the riv -- er, Where the Sav -- iour -- king we own, We shall meet, and sor -- row nev -- er 'Neath the glo -- ry of the throne.", "prose": ["On the bosom of the river,", "Where the Saviour-king we own,", "We shall meet, and sorrow never", "'Neath the glory of the throne."]}, "4": {"syllabified": "Ere we reach the shin -- ing riv -- er, Lay we ev -- ery bur -- den down; Grace our spir -- its will de -- liv -- er, And pro -- vide a robe and crown.", "prose": ["Ere we reach the shining river,", "Lay we every burden down;", "Grace our spirits will deliver,", "And provide a robe and crown."]}, "5": {"syllabified": "At the smil -- ing of the riv -- er, Rip -- pling with the Sav -- iour's face, Saints, whom death will nev -- er sev -- er, Lift their songs of sav -- ing grace.", "prose": ["At the smiling of the river,", "Rippling with the Saviour's face,", "Saints, whom death will never sever,", "Lift their songs of saving grace."]}, "6": {"syllabified": "Soon we'll reach the shin -- ing riv -- er, Soon our pil -- grim -- age will cease, Soon our hap -- py hearts will quiv -- er With the mel -- o -- dy of peace.", "prose": ["Soon we'll reach the shining river,", "Soon our pilgrimage will cease,", "Soon our happy hearts will quiver", "With the melody of peace."]}}, "refrain": {"syllabified": "Yes, we'll gath -- er at the riv -- er, The beau -- ti -- ful, the beau -- ti -- ful riv -- er\u2014 Gath -- er with the saints at the riv -- er That flows by the throne of God.", "prose": ["Yes, we'll gather at the river,", "The beautiful, the beautiful river\u2014", "Gather with the saints at the river", "That flows by the throne of God."]}, "license": "The hymn texts and tunes are in the public domain; per-layer provenance is recorded on each record."}