{"slug": "wonderful-words-of-life", "title": "Wonderful Words of Life", "first_line": "Sing them over again to me", "author": "philip-paul-bliss", "author_date": "1874", "foot": "trochaic", "meter": {"pattern": [8, 6, 8, 6, 6, 6], "doubled": false, "refrain": true, "alleluia": false, "irregular": false}, "topics": ["Word of God", "The Scriptures", "Invitation", "Promises (see also Gospel)"], "scripture": ["John 6:63", "Acts 5:20", "Philippians 2:16"], "provenance": {"layer": "text", "source": "gospel-hymns-consolidated-1883", "source_kind": "hand_encoded", "pd_basis": "pub_pre_1931", "pd_evidence": "Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876), words and music, first published in his own Sunday-school paper collection Words of Life (Chicago, 1874) and carried from there through the Gospel Hymns series. Transcribed syllable by syllable and mark by mark from the dated page image of Gospel Hymns Consolidated, Embracing Numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 (New York: Biglow & Main; Cincinnati: The John Church Co., 1883), no. 282, printed page 255 \u2014 archive.org item hymnsconso00blis, leaf 259 \u2014 which is headed \"Wonderful Words of Life.\", carries the scripture motto \"The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.\"\u2014JOHN 6:61. (the plate MISPRINTS the reference: the verse is John 6:63), credits \"P. P. B.\" on the left and \"P. P. Bliss, by per.\" on the right, and prints all three stanzas plus the chorus under the staves. Every word and every mark of punctuation was then re-read on a SECOND, INDEPENDENT 1883 scan of the same plate \u2014 archive.org gospelhymnsconso00blis_202606 (Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs \u2014 Consolidated No. 1-4, 1883), no. 282, printed page 255, leaf 252 \u2014 which is the sharper of the two; the two witnesses agree word for word. US public domain: first published 1874 and both witnesses read here are themselves dated 1883; Bliss died in 1876, so it is also public domain in life+70 jurisdictions. PUNCTUATION IS THE PLATE'S, including two places where it is not what a modern reprint prints: stanza 2's first line ends \"gives to all\" with NO comma (where the parallel lines of stanzas 1 and 3 end \"to me,\" and \"gospel call,\"), and the plate spells \"Saviour\" and sets \"for-ev-er\" as three syllables. \"Life\" is capitalised at every occurrence in the stanzas, as printed. The chorus is printed once, as \"Beau-ti -ful words,wonderful words,Wonderful words of Life,\" with a \"1st.\" ending, and \"Life.\" alone under the \"2d.\" ending \u2014 lower-case \"wonderful\" in the middle, capital \"Wonderful\" after the second comma, exactly as reproduced here; because the harmonization writes the printed repeat out in full, the refrain words are stored TWICE, the first pass ending \"Life,\" and the second \"Life.\".", "pd_jurisdictions": {"US": true}}, "stanzas": {"1": {"syllabified": "Sing them o -- ver a -- gain to me, Won -- der -- ful words of Life; Let me more of their beau -- ty see, Won -- der -- ful words of Life. Words of life and beau -- ty, Teach me faith and du -- ty;", "prose": ["Sing them over again to me,", "Wonderful words of Life;", "Let me more of their beauty see,", "Wonderful words of Life.", "Words of life and beauty,", "Teach me faith and duty;"]}, "2": {"syllabified": "Christ, the bless -- ed One, gives to all Won -- der -- ful words of Life; Sin -- ner, list to the lov -- ing call, Won -- der -- ful words of Life. All so free -- ly giv -- en, Woo -- ing us to heav -- en.", "prose": ["Christ, the blessed One, gives to all", "Wonderful words of Life;", "Sinner, list to the loving call,", "Wonderful words of Life.", "All so freely given,", "Wooing us to heaven."]}, "3": {"syllabified": "Sweet -- ly ech -- o the gos -- pel call, Won -- der -- ful words of Life; Of -- fer par -- don and peace to all, Won -- der -- ful words of Life. Je -- sus, on -- ly Sav -- iour, Sanc -- ti -- fy for -- ev -- er.", "prose": ["Sweetly echo the gospel call,", "Wonderful words of Life;", "Offer pardon and peace to all,", "Wonderful words of Life.", "Jesus, only Saviour,", "Sanctify forever."]}}, "refrain": {"syllabified": "Beau -- ti -- ful words, won -- der -- ful words, Won -- der -- ful words of Life, Beau -- ti -- ful words, won -- der -- ful words, Won -- der -- ful words of Life.", "prose": ["Beautiful words, wonderful words,", "Wonderful words of Life,", "Beautiful words, wonderful words,", "Wonderful words of Life."]}, "license": "The hymn texts and tunes are in the public domain; per-layer provenance is recorded on each record."}