Your Roses May Have Thorns

Life's sunshine may be checkered with its shadows

Author: Haldor Lillenas
Tune: [Life's sunshine may be checkered with its shadows]
Published in 5 hymnals

Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Life’s sunshine may be checkered with its shadows,
The pleasant valleys meet the rugged hills;
The quiet sea may change to raging billows,
But all is well if so the Father wills.

Refrain:
Your roses may have thorns, but don’t forget
Your thorns may have some roses, too;
The Lord of great compassion loves you yet,
And He will never fail to see you through.

2 The peaceful day may change to raging tempest,
But know that after tempest comes the calm;
And know that after night must come the morning,
And after sad bereavement, healing balm. [Refrain]

3 The withered flowers hold the seeds of promise,
The winter days are harbingers of spring;
The trials that may often seem most bitter
May bring to you the joys that make you sing. [Refrain]

The sorrows that have come to you unbidden
Have often brought a peace before unknown;
The Maker of your destiny is striving
To fit your heart to be His royal throne. [Refrain]

Source: Great Gospel Songs #112

Author: Haldor Lillenas

Rv Haldor Lillenas DMus Norway/USA 1885-1959. Born at Stord, near Bergen, Norway, his father sold their 15 acre farm in Norway and emigrated to the U.S., buying a farm in Colton, SD. After he built a sod house, the family (wife and three chldren) also came to SD in 1887. They moved to Astoria, Oregon in 1889, where Lillenas learned English and began writing song lyrics at an early age. In 1900 the family moved again to Roseville, MN, where he worked as a farm laborer and began attending a Lutheran high school at Hawick, MN. He sold a few songs at age 19. At age 21 he began writing more songs, encouraged by some earlier ones becoming popular (“He set me free” was one). His mother died in 1906 and his father returned to ND, but Li… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Life's sunshine may be checkered with its shadows
Title: Your Roses May Have Thorns
Author: Haldor Lillenas
Language: English
Refrain First Line: Your roses may have thorns, but don't forget

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 5 of 5)
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Full Gospel Songs #112

Glorious Gospel Hymns #d307

TextAudioPage Scan

Great Gospel Songs #112

Praise and Worship #161

Praise and Worship #161

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