“Sweet By and By”

Description

"There's a land that is fairer than day, And by faith we can see it afar.... In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore." The singer describes the blessings and beauties that the faithful will enjoy in heaven

Supplemental text

Sweet By and By
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

From sheet music published 1868 by Oliver Ditson & Co.
Title page inscribed
Sweet By And By
          by
 J.P.WEBSTER

1. There's a land that is fairer than day,
   And by faith we can see it afar,
   For the Father waits over the way,
   To prepare us a dwelling place there.

CHORUS:*
In the sweet by and by,
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore,
In the sweet by and by,
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore,

2. We shall sing on that beautiful shore,
   The melodious songs of the blest,
   And our spirits shall sorrow no more --
   Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.

3. To our bountiful Father above,
   We will offer the tribute of praise,
   For the glorious gift of his love,
   And the blessing that hallows our days!

* The chorus harmonies are complex. Only the tenor has a
complete text, but the song could also be treated as a
call-and-answer, with tenor and bass answering soprano/alto/tenor.
I've shown the tenor line.

Notes

Jackson writes, "It may be that the venerable old Gospel number 'Sweet By and By' is the only famous song written in a drugstore; it is CERTAINLY the only famous song written in a drugstore in Elkhorn, Wisconsin."

Johnson quotes from Bennet's papers, describing how it happened: one day in 1867, J. P. Webster (who also wrote the music for "Lorena") strolled into the Elkhorn drugstore in a grim mood. Asked what was wrong, he declared that it wasn't important; "It will be all right by and by." Sanford Fillmore Bennett, who owned the drugstore, heard the line scribbled these verses -- with the intent to write as song, according to what he said; Jackson claims it was to comfort Webster.

Personally, I probably would have gotten even more grim after reading such saccharine lyrics, but Webster at once cheered up and started to set them to music, and the music at least did well.

Since we're talking about useless Wisconsin lore, we might add that this is said to have been the favorite hymn of Charles Ingalls, the "Pa" of Laura Ingalls Wilder (it was written the year Laura was born, note, though Elkhorn is in the eastern part of the state, far from the Pepin country), and was reportedly played at his funeral in 1902 (see Donald Zochert, _Laura_, pp. 140-141). - RBW

Same tune

• The Preacher and the Slave (File: San221)

Cross references

• cf. "The Preacher and the Slave" (tune)
• cf. "The Cowboy's Dream" (tune)

Recordings

• Harkins & Moran [pseuds. for Sid Harkreader w. Grady Moore], "In the Sweet Bye and Bye" (Broadway 8117, c. 1930)
• Haydn Quartet, "In the Sweet Bye and Bye" (Victor 1316, 1902)
• Bela Lam & his Greene County Singers, "Sweet Bye and Bye" (OKeh 45177, 1928; rec. 1927)
• Uncle Dave Macon, "In the Sweet Bye and Bye" (Vocalion 5162, 1927)
• Margarethe Matzenauer, "In he Sweet Bye and Bye" (Pathe Actuelle 027519, n.d.)

References

1. RJackson-19CPop, pp. 198-201, "Sweet By and By" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Silber-FSWB, p. 355, "In The Sweet Bye And Bye" (1 text)
3. DT, SWTBYBY*
4. ADDITIONAL: Charles Johnson, One Hundred and One Famous Hymns (Hallberg, 1982), pp. 206-207, "Sweet By and By" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. ST RJ19198 (Full)
6. Roud #7651
7. BI, RJ19198