Scripture Verse

What man…having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? Luke 15:4–7

Introduction

Words: Will­iam G. Schell, in Songs of the Ev­en­ing Light, by Bar­ney War­ren & An­drew L. By­ers (An­der­son, In­di­ana: Gos­pel Trum­pet Com­pa­ny, 1897), num­ber 49.

Music: Mon­te­ne­gro Bar­ney E. War­ren (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a bet­ter pho­to of Schell,

portrait
William G. Schell (1869–1940)

Lyrics

illustration
Christ the Shepherd
Bernhard Plockhorst (1825–1907)
Wikimedia Commons

The nine­ty-nine within the fold,
Are safe from fears and storms of night,
But one is on the moun­tains cold,
’Twill per­ish there—how sad the sight!

Refrain

Go search it out, and bring it home,
No more in dark­ness let it roam;
You’ll find it there in dread­ful plight,
Oh! go and bring it back to­night.

The nine­ty-nine are safe to­day,
They’re all at home, so ful­ly blest,
But one is wan­der­ing far away
Upon the moun­tain’s snowy crest.

Refrain

The nine­ty-nine with care are fed,
And rest with­in the shep­herd’s fold;
But one is starv­ing, near­ly dead,
Upon the moun­tains bare and cold.

Refrain

The shep­herd dear aloud doth weep,
Because one lamb afar doth roam;
The nine­ty-nine he’ll safe­ly keep—
We’ll seek that lamb and bring it home.

Refrain