In his 1907 dictionary on hymnody, John Julian lists
the hymns by Robert Lowry "which have attained the
widest circulation." How things have changed since
1907! Not only does Julian fail to list "All the Way
My Savior Leads Me" and "We're Marching to Zion!" (to
be fair, he may have been listing merely hymns which
Lowry wrote the words to), but some of the hymns he
does list have lapsed into total obscurity! Take
Marching On! Marching On! for instance. #3 on the
list, it appeared in several hym...(+)
In his 1907 dictionary on hymnody, John Julian lists
the hymns by Robert Lowry "which have attained the
widest circulation." How things have changed since
1907! Not only does Julian fail to list "All the Way
My Savior Leads Me" and "We're Marching to Zion!" (to
be fair, he may have been listing merely hymns which
Lowry wrote the words to), but some of the hymns he
does list have lapsed into total obscurity! Take
Marching On! Marching On! for instance. #3 on the
list, it appeared in several hymnals back in the day,
but it hasn't been in one since World War II! And yet,
after a look at the music, it's easy to see why it's
such a classic. With it's inspiring words of triumph,
and a stirring tune to support it, Marching On! cannot
fail but to make you feel emboldened to serve Christ
harder. I hope that this arrangement of it, probably
the first in decades, proves a blessing to you and
those you play it for!
1. Marching on! marching on! glad as birds on the
wing,
Come the bright ranks of children from near and from
far;
Happy hearts, full of song, ‘neath our banners we
bring,
Little soldiers of Zion prepare for the war.
2. Fighting on! fighting on! in the midst of the
strife,
At the call of our Captain we draw every sword:
We are battling for God, we are struggling for
life,
Let us strike every rebel that fights ‘gainst the
Lord.
3. Pressing on! pressing on! to the din of the
fray,
With the firm tread of faith to the battle we go;
‘Mid the cheering of angels, our ranks march
away,
With our flags pointing ever right on toward the
foe.
4. Singing on! singing on! from the battle we come,
Every flag bears a wreath, every soldier renown;
Heavenly angels are waiting to welcome us home,
And the Saviour will give us a robe and a crown.
Chorus: Marching on! marching on! sound the battle cry,
sound the battle cry,
For the Saviour is before us, and for Him we draw the
sword.
Marching on! marching on! shout the victory, shout the
victory!
We will end the battle singing, “Hallelujah to the
Lord!”