William W. Walford: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Sweet Hour of Prayer

William W. Walford

“Sweet Hour of Prayer” as printed in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920).

William W. Walford: Collected Lyrics Text 1 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

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

That calls me from a world of care,

And bids me at my Father's throne

Make all my wants and wishes known:

In seasons of distress and grief,

My soul has found relief;

And oft escaped the tempter's snare,

by thy re-turn, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

Thy wings shall my petition bear

To him whose truth and faithfulness

Engage the waiting soul to bless.

And since he bids me seek his face,

Believe his word and trust his grace,

I'll cast on him my every care

And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayerl

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

May I thy consolation share,

Till, from Mount Pisgah's lofty height,

I view my home and take my flight;

This robe of flesh I'll drop, and rise

To seize the everlasting prize;

And shout, while passing thro' the air,

Farewell, farewell.sweet hour of prayer! Amen.

Credits

Written by William W. Walford

Words by William W. Walford. 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), “Sweet Hour of Prayer”

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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