Henry Francis Lyte: Collected Lyrics
02 / 2
Public-domain lyrics

Abide with Me! Fast Falls the Eventide

Henry Francis Lyte

“Abide with Me! Fast Falls the Eventide” as printed in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920).

Henry Francis Lyte: Collected Lyrics Text 2 1920 · historical text
Public domainHymnSacred song
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Army and Navy Hymnal, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Musical scores are temporarily disabled.

Abide with me! fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!

When other helpers fail,and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me!

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;

Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;

Change and decay in all around I see;

O thou who changest not, abide with me!

I need thy presence every passing hour;

What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?

Who like thyself my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me!

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness:

Where is death's sting? where, grave thy victory?

I triumph still if thou abide with me!

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes,

shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies:

Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;

In life and death, O Lord abide with me!

A-men

Credits

Written by Henry Francis Lyte

Words by Henry Francis Lyte. Historical text published in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920), “Abide with Me! Fast Falls the Eventide”

The 1920 published edition is in the public domain in the United States (pre-1931 publication). Entries whose credited author died more than 70 years ago are also in the public domain in life-plus-70 jurisdictions; traditional and anonymous entries are public domain. Pages whose scan quality is below the proofread threshold are held for review.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-26. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
Keep tracing

More from Henry Francis Lyte: Collected Lyrics.

01Abide With MePublic-domain lyrics