The Cyber Hymnal ‎#5680

5680. The Prodigal Child

1. Come home! come home!
You are weary at heart,
For the way has been dark,
And so lonely and wild.
O prodigal child!
Come home! oh come home!

Refrain
Come home!
Come, oh come home!

2. Come home! come home!
For we watch and we wait,
And we stand at the gate,
While the shadows are piled.
O prodigal child!
Come home! oh come home! [Refrain]

3. Come home! come home!
From the sorrow and blame,
From the sin and the shame,
And the tempter that smiled,
O prodigal child!
Come home! oh come home! [Refrain]

4. Come home! come home!
There is bread and to spare,
And a warm welcome there,
Then, to friends reconciled,
O prodigal child!
Come home! oh come home! [Refrain]

Text Information

• First Line: Come home! come home
• Title: The Prodigal Child
• Author: Ellen Maria Huntington Gates (before 1876)
• Refrain First Line: Come home!
• Language: English
• Source: Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs, by Philip P. Bliss & Ira D. Sankey (New York: Biglow & Main, 1875), number 38
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: In Vic­tor­ia Hall, Sun­der­land, Eng­land, Mr. Moo­dy one ev­en­ing closed his ser­mon with the sto­ry of a pro­di­gal son, who was re­con­ciled to his fa­ther—as he stood by the bed of his dy­ing mo­ther. Then Mr. Sank­ey sang,— "Oh, prodigal child, come home." When the au­di­ence had been dis­missed, there came in­to the en­qu­iry meet­ing a young man who had long played the part of the pro­di­gal son, to the great grief of his god­ly par­ents. With a face marked with deep­est pen­i­tence he came up to his fa­ther and mo­ther, and throw­ing his arms about them, with ma­ny tears asked their for­give­ness and al­so the par­don of God for his sins. The pro­di­gal child had a double wel­come from God and man. Crafts, pp. 46-7

Tune Information

• Name: [Come home! come home]
• Composer: W. Howard Doane
• Incipit: 55333 15565 32222
• Key: E♭ Major
• Copyright: Public Domain