I walked one day along a coun­try road,
And there a stran­ger jour­neyed, too,
Bent low be­neath the bur­den of His load:
It was a cross, a cross I knew.

Refrain

Take up thy cross and fol­low Me.
I hear the bless­èd Sav­ior call;
How can I make a less­er sac­ri­fice,
When Je­sus gave His all?

I cried, Lord Je­sus, and He spoke my name;
I saw His hands all bruised and torn;
I stooped to kiss away the marks of shame,
The shame for me that He had borne.

Refrain

O let me bear Thy cross, dear Lord, I cried,
And lo, a cross for me ap­peared,
The one for­got­ten I had cast aside,
The one, so long, that I had feared.

Refrain

My cross I’ll car­ry till the crown ap­pears,
The way I jour­ney soon will end
Where God Him­self shall wipe away all tears,
And friend hold fel­low­ship with friend.