Drifting Down

Words:
Jessie Brown Pounds
Music:
W. E. M. Hackleman

Sheet music

  1. 1You are drifting far from shore, leaning on the idle oar,You are drifting, slowly drifting, drifting down;You are drifting with the tide, to the ocean wild and wide,You are drifting, slowly drifting, drifting down.You are drifting down,(You are drifting, slowly drifting,) drifting down(you are slowly drifting down)To the dark and awful sea;(To the dark and awful sea;)You are drifting down(You are drifting, slowly drifting,)From a father’s loving careTo the blackness of despair,You are drifting, slowly drifting, drifting down. (Drifting down.)
  2. 2Light upon the Homeland shore give you warning o’er and o’er,You are drifting, slowly drifting, drifting down;Soon beyond the harbor bar will your boat be carried far,You are drifting, slowly drifting, drifting down.You are drifting down,(You are drifting, slowly drifting,) drifting down(you are slowly drifting down)To the dark and awful sea;(To the dark and awful sea;)You are drifting down(You are drifting, slowly drifting,)From a father’s loving careTo the blackness of despair,You are drifting, slowly drifting, drifting down. (Drifting down.)
  3. 3Voices from the Homeland shore fainter grow, as they implore,You are drifting, slowly drifting, drifting down;O, my brother, do not wait!Heed them ere it be too late,Ere forever you have drifted, drifted down.You are drifting down,(You are drifting, slowly drifting,) drifting down(you are slowly drifting down)To the dark and awful sea;(To the dark and awful sea;)You are drifting down(You are drifting, slowly drifting,)From a father’s loving careTo the blackness of despair,You are drifting, slowly drifting, drifting down. (Drifting down.)

In the hymnals

  • Written in 1898, the words are in 46 hymnals indexed by Hymnary.org. Their history →

Words, music and setting are in the public domain. The sheet music and words are from PDHymns.com. The piano is the FluidR3 General MIDI sound font (MIT licence). How many hymnals print a hymn, and when it was written, is from Hymnary.org.

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