Scripture Verse

All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Introduction

portrait
Margaret J. Preston
1820–1897

Words: Mar­gar­et J. Pres­ton, Car­toons (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Ro­berts Bro­thers, 1875), page 203. The lyr­ics al­so ap­pear in her For Love’s Sake: Po­ems of Faith and Com­fort (New York: An­son D. F. Ran­dolph, 1886), pag­es 54–55. Com­pare What Will It Mat­ter? (Cros­by).

Music: Da­ni­el G. Nor­ris, in Wel­come Tid­ings, ed­it­ed by Ro­bert Low­ry, W. How­ard Doane & Ira D. San­key (New York: Big­low & Main, 1877), page 59 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Nor­ris (head-and-shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), or a bet­ter one of Pres­ton,

Lyrics

What will it matter, by and by,
Whether my path below was bright,
Whether it wound thro’ dark or light
Under a gray or golden sky,
When I look back on it by and by?

What will it matter, by and by,
Whether, unhelped, I toiled alone,
Dashing my foot against a stone,
Missing, perhaps, the angel nigh,
Bidding me think of the by and by?

What will it matter? Naught, if I
Only am sure the way I’ve trod,
Gloomy or gladdened, leads to God;
Questioning not of how, or why,
If I but gaze on Him by and by.

What will it matter? What the sigh,
If, in my fear of slip or fall,
Closely I’ve clung to Christ thro’ all,
Mindless how rough the path might lie,
Since He will comfort me by and by?