Traditional: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Fairest Lord Jesus

Traditional

“Fairest Lord Jesus” as printed in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920).

Traditional: Collected Lyrics Text 361 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

Fairest Lord Jesus,

Ruler of all Nature,

O thou of God and man the Son;

Thee will I cherish,

Thee will I honor,

Thou my soul's glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows,

Fairer still the woodlands,

Robed in the blooming garb of spring;

Jesus is fairer,

Jesus is purer,

Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,

Fairer still the moonlight,

And all the twinkling, starry host;

Jesus shines brighter,

Jesus shines purer

Than all the angels heaven could boast.

A-men

Credits

Written by Traditional

Traditional words. 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), “Fairest Lord Jesus”

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.
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