Historic Sheet Music Collection
Title
Document Type
Score
Publication Date
1841
Lyrics
Nigh to a grave that was newly made
Leaned a Sexton old on his earth worn spade
His work was done and he paused to wait
The fun'ral train through the open gate
A relic of by-gone days was he
And his locks were white as the foamy sea
And these words came from his lips so thin
I gather them in, I gather them in, gather, gather, gather, I gather them in...
I gather them in! For man and boy
Year after year of grief and joy
I've builded the houses that lie around
In ev're nook of this burial ground
Mother and daughter father and son
Come to my solitude, one by one
But come they strangers or come they kin
I gather them in, I gather them in, gather, gather, gather, I gather them in...
Many are with me but still I'm alone
I'm king of the dead - and I make my throne
On a monument slab of marble cold
And my sceptre of rule is the spade I hold
Come they from cottage or come they from hall
Mankind are my subjects - all, all, all
Let them loiter in pleasure, or toilfully spin
I gather them in! I gather them in!
I gather them in - and their final rest
Is here down here in the earth's dark breast
And the sexton ceased for the funeral train
Wound mutely o'er that solemn plain
And I said to my heart - when time is told
A mightier voice than that sexton's old
Will sound o'er the last trump's dreadful din
I gather them in! I gather them in!
Recommended Citation
Russell, Henry, "Old Sexton" (1841). Historic Sheet Music Collection. 247.
https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/sheetmusic/247
The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.
Comments
The Old Sexton
Words by Park Benjamin ; music composed and respectfully dedicated to William Babcock Esq. by Henry Russell.
Third edition.
Boston. Published by Henry Prentiss 33 Court St.
Some of the resources may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. Such materials should be seen in the context of the time period and as a reflection of attitudes of the time. The items are part of the historical record, and do not represent the views of the libraries or the institution.