Hymn Reflection : “Shall We Gather at the River”
Rarely is it called this any longer, but the beloved song “Shall We Gather at the River” was once regularly referred to simply as “The River.” Written and set to music by Robert Lowry, this beautiful song has reminded countless people of heaven through the years. But even “The River” was not the original name of this song.
Lowry is usually remembered more for his music than his poetry, as he set many of Fannie Crosby’s songs to music. Between his own poems and other poems–including those by Crosby–that he set to music, Lowry helped pen over 500 compositions, many of which we still sing today.
Probably none is so widely remembered, however, as “Shall We Gather at the River.” Due to its picturesque language and glorious thoughts of heaven, the song has been a favorite for many, and has even crossed over into popular culture at times. For example, western film director John Ford used the song in the movie or the soundtrack to several films, including Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and (twice in) The Searchers. The reason is actually pretty simple: this was Ford’s favorite song! The song has also been sung at countless funerals, including the service for former US Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, the justice with the longest service in the history of the Court.
The song is often used when someone is baptized, and while that is a good use of the song, Robert Lowry meant it to be a song that pictured heaven. Lowry wrote this song on a very hot New York day. He would later give this summary of the inspiration for the hymn:
One afternoon in July, 1864, when I was pastor at Hanson Place Baptist Church, Brooklyn, the weather was oppressively hot, and I was lying on a lounge in a state of physical exhaustion. I felt almost incapable of bodily exertion, and my imagination began to take itself wings. Visions of the future passed before me with startling vividness. The imagery of the apocalypse took the form of a tableau. Brightest of all were the throne, the heavenly river, and the gathering of the saints. My soul seemed to take new life from that celestial outlook. I began to wonder why the hymn writers had said so much about the “river of death” and so little about the “pure water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb.” As I mused, the words began to construct themselves. They came first as a question of Christian inquiry, “Shall we gather?” Then they broke out in a chorus, “Yes, we’ll gather.” On this question and answer the hymn developed itself. The music came with the hymn. (As quoted in Then Sings My Soul, page 153.)
Because Lowry was working with the Hanson Place Baptist Church when he wrote the song, its original name had nothing to do with the content of the lyrics. He originally penned it under the working title “Hanson Place,” with the hopes that all the members would be able to say, “Yes, we’ll gather at the river.”
When I sing this song, I struggle to hold my emotions. I truly believe this is one of the finest hymns ever penned, and the words are a glorious reminder of the joy that will be ours in that wonderful place prepared by our Lord. Maybe the greatest single line ever put to music is found in this song: “Saints whom death will never sever lift their songs of saving grace.” That’s what I long for “at the smiling of the river.”
Lyrics
Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?
On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will talk and worship ever,
All the happy golden day.
Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown.
At the smiling of the river,
Mirror of the Savior’s face,
Saints, whom death will never sever,
Lift their songs of saving grace.
Soon we’ll reach the silver river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease;
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace.
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Picture from My Hymnal Collection
Video
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Photo credit: Moyan Brenn on Creative Commons
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