Scripture Verse

The Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. Isaiah 11:10

Introduction

portrait
George W. Doane (1799–1859)

Words: George W. Doane, 1848. Doane wrote this hymn for a cer­e­mo­ny to raise a new flag at St. Ma­ry’s School in Bur­ling­ton, New Jer­sey. It was pub­lished in Songs by the Way, 1875.

Music: Wal­tham (Cal­kin) John B. Cal­kin, 1872 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Cal­kin (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
John B. Calkin (1827–1905)

Bishop John Scar­borough [Doane’s suc­cess­or at St. Ma­ry’s Hall, told] how Bi­shop Doane came to write the fa­mous miss­ion­ary hymn, Fling out the Banner!

In 1848 there was to be a flag rais­ing at Saint Ma­ry’s Hall, and the girls of the school ap­pealed to Bi­shop Doane to write a song for them to sing on that oc­ca­sion.

The re­sult was the writ­ing of this hymn, which was sung for the first time by the young la­dies of the se­mi­na­ry, and has been sung at thou­sands of mis­sion­ary meet­ings since then, to the spi­rit­ual sti­mu­la­tion of ma­ny souls.

Price, p. 18

Lyrics

Fling out the ban­ner! let it float
Skyward and sea­ward, high and wide;
The sun that lights its shin­ing folds,
The cross, on which the Sav­ior died.

Fling out the ban­ner! hea­then lands
Shall see from far the glo­ri­ous sight,
And na­tions crowd­ing to be born
Baptize their spi­rits in its light.

Fling out the ban­ner! an­gels bend
In anx­ious silence o’er the sight,
And vain­ly seek to com­pre­hend
The won­der of the love di­vine.

Fling out the ban­ner! sin sick souls
That sink and per­ish in the strife,
Shall touch in faith its ra­di­ant hem,
And spring im­mor­tal in­to life.

Fling out the ban­ner! let it float
Skyward and sea­ward, high and wide,
Our glo­ry, on­ly in the cross;
Our on­ly hope, the Cru­ci­fied!

Fling out the ban­ner! wide and high,
Seaward and sky­ward, let it shine;
Nor skill, nor might, nor mer­it ours;
We con­quer on­ly in that sign.