The Cyber Hymnal ‎#12399

12399. Keep On The Sunny Side Of Life

1 There’s a dark and a troubled side of life;
There’s a bright and a sunny side, too;
Tho’ we meet with the darkness and strife,
The sunny side we also may view.

Refrain:
Keep on the sunny side,
Always on the sunny side,
Keep on the sunny side of life;
It will help us every day,
It will brighten all the way,
If we keep on the sunny side of life.

2 Tho’ the storm in its fury break today,
Crushing hopes that we cherished so dear;
Storm and cloud will in time pass away,
The sun again will shine bright and clear. [Refrain]

3 Let us greet with a song of hope each day,
Tho’ the moments be cloudy or fair;
Let us trust in our Savior alway,
Who keepeth every one in His care. [Refrain]

Text Information

• First Line: There’s a dark and a troubled side of life
• Title: Keep On The Sunny Side Of Life
• Author: Ada J. Blenkhorn (1899)
• Refrain First Line: Keep on the sunny side
• Language: English
• Source: Bright Melodies by John R. Sweney and Howard Entwisle (Philadelphia: John J. Hood, 1899)
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: This song was in­spired by Ada’s dis­a­bled ne­phew, who loved to have his wheel­chair pushed down the sun­ny side of the street. The Car­ter fam­i­ly, of coun­try mu­sic fame, learned of the song from Al­vin P. Car­ter’s uncle, a mu­sic teach­er. They re­cord­ed it in Cam­den, New Jer­sey, in 1928, and it be­came their theme song on the ra­dio in lat­er years. Alvin Car­ter’s tomb­stone in the Mount Ver­non Me­tho­dist Church Ce­me­te­ry in Hil­tons, Vir­gin­ia, has a gold re­cord of the song em­bedd­ed in it. The Whites sang the song in the 2000 film O Bro­ther, Where Art Thou?

Tune Information

• Name: [There’s a dark and a troubled side of life]
• Composer: J. Howard Entwisle
• Key: A♭ Major
• Copyright: Public Domain