Scripture Verse

He was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me! Matthew 14:29–31

Introduction

portrait
Edward S. Ufford (1851–1929)

Words: Ed­ward S. Uf­ford, 1888.

Music: Ed­ward S. Uf­ford, ar­ranged by George C. Steb­bins, 1890 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
George C. Stebbins (1846–1945)

Origin of the Hymn

The Rev. E. S. Uf­ford, well known as a Bap­tist preach­er, lec­tur­er, and ev­an­gel­ist, was wit­ness­ing a drill at the life-sav­ing sta­tion on Point Al­ler­ton, Nan­tas­ket Beach, when the or­der to throw out the life-line and the sight of the ap­pa­ra­tus in ac­tion, com­bined with the story of a ship­wreck on the spot, left an echo in his mind till it took the form of a song ser­mon.

Returning home, he pen­cilled [sic] the words of this rous­ing hymn, and, be­ing him­self a sing­er and play­er, sat down to his in­stru­ment to match the lines with a suit­a­ble air. It came to him al­most as spon­tan­eous­ly as the mu­sic of The Nine­ty and Nine came to Mr. San­key. In fi­fteen min­utes the hymn tune was made—as far as the me­lo­dy went.

It was pub­lished in sheet form in 1888, and af­ter­wards pur­chased by Mr. San­key, har­mo­ny by Mr. Steb­bins, and pub­lished in Win­nowed Songs, 1890. In­clud­ed in Gos­pel Hymns, Nov 6, 1891.

Brown, pp. 374–75

Lyrics

illustration
Christ Walking on the Sea
Charles F. Jalabert (1819–1901)

Throw out the life line across the dark wave;
There is a bro­ther whom some­one should save;
Somebody’s bro­ther! O who then will dare
To throw out the life line, his pe­ril to share?

Refrain

Throw out the life line! Throw out the life line!
Someone is drift­ing away;
Throw out the life line! Throw out the life line!
Someone is sink­ing to­day.

Throw out the life line with hand quick and strong:
Why do you tar­ry, why lin­ger so long?
See! he is sink­ing; oh, hast­en to­day
And out with the life boat! away, then away!

Refrain

Throw out the life line to dan­ger fraught men,
Sinking in ang­uish where you’ve ne­ver been;
Winds of temp­ta­tion and bil­lows of woe
Will soon hurl them out where the dark wa­ters flow.

Refrain

Soon will the sea­son of res­cue be o’er,
Soon will they drift to eter­ni­ty’s shore;
Haste, then, my bro­ther, no time for de­lay,
But throw out the life line and save them to­day.

Refrain

This is the life line, oh, tem­pest tossed men;
Baffled by waves of temp­ta­tion and sin;
Wild winds of pas­sion, your strength can­not brave,
But Je­sus is migh­ty, and Je­sus can save.

Refrain

Jesus is able! To you who are driv’n,
Farther and far­ther from God and from Heav’n;
Helpless and hope­less, o’er­whelmed by the wave;
We throw out the life line, ’tis Je­sus can save.

Refrain

This is the life line, oh, grasp it to­day!
See, you are reck­less­ly drift­ing away;
Voices in warn­ing, shout ov­er the wave,
O grasp the strong life line, for Je­sus can save.

Refrain