Indexes for The Sacred Harp, 2025 Edition
223 Balm in Gilead
Words: v. 1, 3 Meta Heusser-Schweizer, 1837, tr. Jane Borthwick, 1884. v. 2 Anna Laetitia Waring, 1850
Music: Arr. Rebecca Wright, 2018
Meter: 7s & 6s.
Copyright: 2025 Sacred Harp Publishing Company
Long hast thou wept and sorrowed,
Poor mourner, dry thy tears;
Behold, with light and comfort
The God of love appears.
[chorus]
There’s balm in Gilead
To cure a sin-sick soul;
There’s balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole.
The storm may roar about you,
Your heart may low be laid;
But God is ever near you,
And can you be dismayed?
The seed, before it flourish,
Must low in darkness lie;
And love, to live forever,
Must for a season die.
Poor mourner, dry thy tears;
Behold, with light and comfort
The God of love appears.
[chorus]
There’s balm in Gilead
To cure a sin-sick soul;
There’s balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole.
The storm may roar about you,
Your heart may low be laid;
But God is ever near you,
And can you be dismayed?
The seed, before it flourish,
Must low in darkness lie;
And love, to live forever,
Must for a season die.