"Gathering Home" (1869)
Published in "The New Song Era" (1877)
Arranged from "The Pacific Glee Book" (1869)
by George Frederick Root, 1820-1895

1.
The sunset fades along the hills;
Floods of golden light
Dying into night;
Soft twilight now the valley fills;
Dim the shadows fall
Over all:

Hark! hark! the song the reapers sing,
As they gather home,
Blithely gathering home;
Hark! how the vales and woodlands ring,
As the echos sweet loudly call.

REFRAIN
Oh hear the strain, the joyful strain;
The joyful strain!
Gath'ring home, the joyful strain:
Gath'ring home:
Hark! hark! The glad refrain: (the glad refrain:)
We're gath'ring home (Gath'ring home.)
Gath'ring home.

2.
The huntsmen ride along the hills
In the golden light,
While the coming night,
From spirit wings, the dew distills;
Bidding quiet fall
Over all:

Hark! hark! the huntsmen's winding horn,
As they gather home,
Blithely gath'ring home;
Their tones on twilight zephyrs borne,
As the echoes sweet softly call.

(REFRAIN)

3.
Oh, soon for us no more shall be
Morn or eve-ning light,
Earthly noon or night,
But death's unfathom'd mystery,
Settling like a pall
Over all:

Then if the golden harps we hear,
As we gather home,
Safely gather home,
We'll know our Father's throne is near,
And for us the sweet heav'nly call.

(REFRAIN)