The Cyber Hymnal ‎#808

808. A Child of the King

1. My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, He has riches untold.

Refrain
I’m a child of the King,
A child of the King:
With Jesus my Savior,
I’m a child of the King.

2. My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men,
Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is pleading our pardon on high,
That we may be His when He comes by and by. [Refrain]

3. I once was an outcast stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, an alien by birth,
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown. [Refrain]

4. A tent or a cottage, why should I care?
They’re building a palace for me over there;
Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing:
All glory to God, I’m a child of the King. [Refrain]

Text Information

• First Line: My Father is rich in houses and lands
• Title: A Child of the King
• Author: Harriet Eugenia Peck Buell (1877)
• Refrain First Line: I'm a child of the King
• Language: English
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: The lyrics first appeared in The Northern Christian Advocate, February 1, 1877, as a poem titled The Child of a King. John Sumner had been praying for a Gospel song to replace the one that would have been written by his friend and teacher Philip Bliss, who had recently suffered an untimely death. When Sumner saw these words, he knew his prayer had been answered.

Tune Information

• Name: [My Father is rich in houses and lands]
• Composer: John Bunnell Sumner
• Incipit: 35453 33231 12222
• Key: E♭ Major
• Copyright: Public Domain