Work For the Night Is Coming Lyrics
Author: Anne Louise Walker
1 Work, for the night is coming:
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling:
Work mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter;
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man’s work is done.
2 Work, for the night is coming:
Work through the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labor:
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute
Something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.
3 Work, for the night is coming,
Under the sunset skies;
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work, for daylight flies.
Work till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work, while the night is darkening,
When man’s work is o’er.
Work for the Night Is Coming Hymn History
Work for the Night Is Coming is a hymn that was written by Annie Louise Walker also known as Mrs. Harry Coghill.
This was originally written as a poem in 1854 when Anne was just eighteen years old. It was first published in a Canadian newspaper.
I read somewhere that Annie was visiting her brothers who had emigrated to Canada from England when she wrote this hymn.
She actually wrote several poems while she was in Canada. In 1859 all these poems were collected and published in her Leaves from the Backwoods.
Unfortunately, there was no acknowledgment of Mrs Harry Coghill as the author when ‘Work for the Night Is Coming’ was included in Ira D. Sankey’s Sacred Songs and Solos in 1890.
It is said that the inspiration for this hymn were the short summers in the United Kingdom that necessitated that you work in haste before the weather changed and one could not work anymore.
Below are some more posts on hymns’ history and lyrics: –
All the Way My Savior Leads Me