1 You may sing of the beauty of mountain and dale,
Of the silvery streamlet and flow'rs of the vale;
But the place most delightful this earth can afford,
Is the place of devotion--the house of the Lord.
Is the place of devotion--the house of the Lord.

2 You may boast of the sweetness of day's early dawn--
Of the sky's softening graces when day is just gone;
But there's no other season or time can compare
With the house of devotion--the season of prayer.

3 You may value the friendship of youth and of age,
And select for your comrades the noble and sage;
But the friends that most cheer me on life's rugged road,
Are the friends of my Master--the children of God.

4 You may talk of your prospects, of fame, or of wealth,
And the hopes that oft flatter the fav'rites of health;
But the hope of bright glory--of heavenly bliss!
Take away every other, and give me but this.

5 Ever hail, blessed temple, abode of the Lord!
I will turn to thee often, to hear from his word;
I will walk to thy altar with those that I love,
And delight in the prospects reveal'd from above.