Index of Titles and First Lines
Proposed for inclusion in
MHSH — LOHB
FeedbackA better day is coming
Robert Lowry and Charles A. Tindley
The hymn's third and fourth stanzas as given below appear to be Rev. Tindley's contributions. Hymnals that contain these verses usually omit Lowry's closing verse (here, the fifth). If you have documentation about the history of this hymn's text and its authorship, please let me know via the Feedback link above.
Hymnary text authority (24 instances, largely Tindley)
Cyber Hymnal™ page (Lowry; uses tune name WUPPERTAL)
Public Domain | Tune1 A better day is coming, The morning draweth nigh, When girded right with holy might Shall overthrow the wrong, When Christ our Lord shall listen To ev'ry plaintive sigh, And stretch His hand o'er every land In justice by and by. Refrain: 'Tis coming by and by, 'Tis coming by and by, A better day is coming, the morning draweth nigh, 'Tis coming by and by, 'Tis coming by and by, The welcome dawn is hastening on, 'Tis coming by and by. 2 The boast of haughty error No more shall fill the land, While men, enraged, their pow'rs engage To kill their fellow man, But God the Lord shall triumph, And Satan's host shall fly, For wrong must cease and righteousness Shall conquer by and by. [Refrain] 3 No more will angry nations In deadly conflict meet, While children cry and parents die In conquest or defeat, For Jesus Christ, the Captain, Will give the battle cry, The Holy Ghost will lead the host To vic'try by and by. [Refrain] 4 No more shall lords and rulers Their helpless victims press, And bar the door against the poor And leave them in distress, But God, the King of Glory, Who hears the ravens cry, Will give command that ev'ry man Have plenty by and by. [Refrain] 5 O for that holy dawning We watch, and wait, and pray, Till o'er the height the morning light Shall drive the gloom away; And when the heavenly glory Shall flood the earth and sky, We'll bless the Lord for all his word, And praise him by and by. [Refrain]Tune:
This is a Tindley score, and the text is from a Tindley version except for the fifth stanza, which I added from a Lowry version.
A Better Day Is Coming
YouTube (instrumental w/ lyrics) of Lowry tune (3 stanzas)
MIDI file from The Cyber Hymnal™: WUPPERTAL (MIDI) (this omits the portion of the tune used for the refrain)