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SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER“Shall We Gather At the River” (or simply “At the River”) is a traditional Christianhymn, written by American poet and gospel music composer Robert Lowry. It waswritten in 1864. An arrangement is included in Aaron Copland‘s Old American Songs. Itstune name is Beautiful River. Part of this hymn was sung in the Academy Award winningmovie, Trip to Bountiful (1985) and in John Ford’s Three Godfathers. It was also sung atthe funeral of American Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas.Lowry said of this Hymn: One afternoon in July, 1864, when I was pastor at HansonPlace Baptist Church, Brooklyn, the weather was oppressively hot, and I was lying on alounge in a state of physical exhaustion…My imagination began to take itself wings.Visions of the future passed before me with startling vividness. The imagery of theapocalypse took the form of a tableau. Brightest of all were the throne, the heavenly river,and the gathering of the saints. I began to wonder why the hymn writers had said so muchabout 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 toconstruct themselves. They came first as a question of Christian inquiry, “Shall wegather?” Then they broke in chorus, “Yes, we’ll gather.” On this question and answer thehymn developed itself. The music came with the hymn”.Shall we gather at the river,Where bright angel feet have trod,With it’s crystal tide foreverFlowing by the throne of God?Yes, we’ll gather at the river,The beautiful, the beautiful river;Gather with the saints at the riverThat flows by the throne of God.On the margin of the river,Washing up it’s silver spray,We shall walk and worship ever,All the happy golden day.Yes, we’ll gather at the river,The beautiful, the beautiful river;Gather with the saints at the riverThat flows by the throne of GodSoon we’ll reach the shining river,Soon our pilgrimage will cease;Soon our happy hearts will quiverWith the melody of peace.The beautiful, the beautiful river;Gather with the saints at the riverThat flows by the throne of God
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
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Anonymous Four………..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ht9OKMV_2U