The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.@Deuteronomy 33:27
portrait
Elisha A. Hoffman (1839-1929)

Eli­sha A. Hoff­man, in The Glad Evan­gel for Re­viv­al, Camp, and Evan­gel­is­tic Meet­ings (Dal­ton, Georg­ia: A. J. Sho­wal­ter & Com­pa­ny, 1887). This song was sung in the 1943 mo­vie The Hu­man Com­e­dy, star­ring Mick­ey Roo­ney, which was nom­in­ated for Acad­e­my Awards in five ca­te­gor­ies, in­clud­ing Best Pic­ture & Best Ac­tor. Will­iam Sa­roy­an won Best Orig­in­al Sto­ry for the film.

An­tho­ny J. Sho­wal­ter (MIDI, NWC, PDF). Sho­wal­ter wrote this tune & words to the re­frain after hear­ing from two friends whose wives had died, & asked Hoff­man to write the re­main­ing lyr­ics.

portrait
Anthony J. Showalter (1858-1924)

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain