Scripture Verse

What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8:36

Introduction

portrait
John B. Herbert
1852–1927

Words: John­son Oat­man, Jr., 1916.

Music: John B. Her­bert (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a bet­ter pho­to of Oat­man or Her­bert,

portrait
Johnson Oatman, Jr.
1856–1922

Lyrics

Not all earth’s gold and silver
Can make a sinner whole;
What shall it profit thee, O man,
If thou should’st lose thy soul?

Refrain

What shall it profit a man,
What shall it profit a man,
If He gain the whole world,
And lose his own soul?

The heaping up of riches
To many seems life’s goal;
But in the eager rush for wealth,
Forgotten is the soul.

Refrain

This solemn question answer:
Is worldly gain thy goal?
Can fleeting riches be compared
To an immortal soul?

Refrain