The Navy Hymn

divider

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
for those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked'st on the foaming deep,
and calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

Most holy spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee,
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

Lord God, our power evermore,
Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor,
Dive with our men beneath the sea,
Traverse the depths protectively.
O hear us when we pray, and keep
Them safe from peril in the deep.

Guard us, O God, Almighty King,
From gale of fall and fog of spring,
O keep us on the Inland Seas.
To long ships passing through the night,
Please give us the guidance of Thy light.


Original first verse:

O thou who bidd’st the ocean deep
Its own appointment limits keep,
Thou Who dost bind the restless wave,
Eternal Father, strong to save;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For all in peril on the sea.


Alternate verses:

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Though the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!

Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with Thy saving grace.
Thou Who supports with tender might
The balanced birds in all their flight.
Lord, if the tempered winds be near,
That, having Thee, they know now fear.

Mary C. D. Hamilton (1915)


Eternal Father, Lord of hosts,
Watch over the men who guard our coasts.
Protect them from the raging seas
And give them light and life and peace.
Grant them from Thy great throne above
The shield and shelter of Thy love.

Author unknown


Who dost still the restless foam,
Protect the ones we love at home.
Provide that they should always be
By Thine own grace both safe and free.
O Father, hear us when we pray
For those we love so far away.

Hugh Taylor (date unknown)


O Father, King of earth and sea,
We dedicate this ship to Thee.
In faith we send her on her way;
In faith to Thee we humbly pray:
O hear from heaven our sailor’s cry
And watch and guard her from on high!

Author/date unknown


And when at length her course is run,
Her work for home and country done,
Of all the souls that in her sailed
Let not one life in Thee have failed;
But hear from heaven our sailor’s cry,
And grant eternal life on high!

Author/date unknown

divider

Words William Whiting, 1860 (1825-1878). He wrote the lyrics as a poem for a student about to sail for America.
Music Melita, John Bacchus Dykes 1861 (1823-1876). Dykes fittingly named the tune after a locale associated with a Biblical shipwreck. Melita was the island the Apostle Paul reached after his ship went down (Acts 28:1); today we know it as the isle of Malta.

divider

audio  Audio Renditions
bullet  Eternal Father, Strong to Save Vocal, 986k .mp3, 1:02
bullet  Eternal Father, Strong to Save Vocal, 649k .wav, :58
bullet  Melita Melody only, 8.5k .mid, 1:52

divider

—  Content on this page not copyright Lightstations.com  —

Return to Previous Page