"OH, MY FATHER"

Lyrics by: ELIZA R. SNOW
Music by: JAMES MCGRANAHAN

VERSE # 01:

Oh, my father, thou that dwellest
In the high and glorious place,
When shall I regain thy presence
And again behold thy face?
In thy holy habitation,
Did my spirit once reside?
In my first primeval childhood,
Was I nurtured near thy side?

VERSE # 02:

For a wise and glorious purpose,
Thou hast placed me here on Earth
And with held the recollection
Of my former friends and birth.
Yet, oft times, a certain something
Whispered, "You're a stranger here!",
And I felt that I had wandered
From a more exalted sphere.

VERSE # 03:

I had learned to call thee, "Father",
Through thy spirit from on high.
Yet, until the key of knowledge
Was restored, I knew not why.
In the heavens, are parents single?
No, the thought makes reason stare!
Truth is reason, truth eternal
Tells me I've a mother there.

VERSE # 04:

When I leave this frail existence,
When I lay this mortal by,
Father, Mother, may I meet you
In your royal courts on high?
Then, at length, when I've completed
All you sent me forth to do,
With your mutual approbation,
May I come and dwell with you?