How Can I Keep from Singing (When I can see the glorious God)

How Can I Keep from Singing is a hymn dating to the late 19th century which did not become popular until the late 20th century when it was used as a folk song by artists such as Pete Seeger. The source of the original lyrics is a bit of a mystery, but it appears to be an early Quaker text which was later augmented by folk artists to include new stanzas which spoke directly to political causes of the day.

The tune by Robert Lowry is especially endearing, and captured the heart of David, moving him to write a new text to match the tune’s pathos. This new text traces the theme of singing through a historical and gospel lens, starting with creation, moving through redemption, and ending with consummation. Some of the original phrases were kept though placed into a different context such as “through all the tumult and the strife I hear [his] music ringing.”

Singing plays an extremely important part of the human experience throughout Scripture. The Lord tells Job in Job 38:4,7 that morning stars (angels) sang at creation. The penitential Psalms – including Psalm 51 when David says “hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities” – are songs of lament and cries for mercy. We learned in Revelation 5:9 that all of creation will sing of what happened at the cross when Jesus ransomed and redeemed people from every tribe and tongue. We see Jesus weeping and joining the lament (which consisted of singing) at the tomb of his friend Lazarus and then a few chapters later in John saying “You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” So believer- as you sing through this hymn may you be reminded of all of the reasons you have to sing, that songs of praise and thanksgiving may flow freely and fully from your hearts back to Him to whom the most beautiful and enduring songs are due.

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