DT Correction: Years Are Coming / Years of Peace

Subject: DT Correction: Years Are Coming
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Nov 08 - 03:08 PM

YEARS ARE COMING
Music: HYFRYDOL, Rowland Hugh Prichard, 1811-1887)

Years are coming, speed them onward
When the sword shall gather rust,
And the helmet, lance, and falchion
Sleep at last in silent dust.

Earth has heard too long of battle,
Heard the trumpet's voice too long.
But another age advances,
Seers foretold in ancient song.

Years are coming when forever
War's dread banner shall be furled,
And the angel Peace be welcomed,
Regent of a happy world.

Hail with song that glorious era,
When the sword shall gather rust,
And the helmet, lance and falchion
Sleep at last in silent dust.

Source: Singing the Living Tradition, Beacon Press, Unitarian Universalist Association, 1993. This book attributes the words to Adin Ballou, 1803-1890)- see attribution notes below.

Adin Ballou, 1849; alt.


A "falchion" is a broad, short sword. One version uses "arrow" instead of "falchion."
Another source says that the lyrics were written in 1849 by Universalist minister Adin Ballou (1803-1890).

Additional information and the suggested alternate tune, PETERSON, obtained from conjubilant.blogspot.com.

Alternate Tune: PETERSON (8.7.8.7.)
Emily S. Perkins, 1921

The lyrics appear attributed to "anonymous" in the hymnal Hymns for Christian Worship, by Louisa Adams Beal (1910). This book suggests "Love Divine" (LeJeune) as a tune.

---

Any for the tunes from Love Divine, All Loves Excelling will work with this song. Singing the Living Tradition suggests HYFRYDOL, which is the tune I associate with "Love Divine." Here are the three tunes I found associated with "Years Are Coming":

HYFRYDOL - Click to play

PETERSON - Click to play

LOVE DIVINE (LeJeune) - Click to play

(tunes copied from www.cyberhymnal.org - all are in the public domain)

Subject: RE: DT Correction: Years Are Coming
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Nov 08 - 03:41 PM

The Digital Tradition Lyrics are taken from the Italian Folksongs thread, a post from Alice. In a subsequent message, Alice says the tune is very similar to "O Santissima," which doesn't seem like any of the three tunes above. Alice, can you e-mail me a MIDI or a scan of the songbook page so I can post your tune?
Thanks.
-Joe Offer-
[e-mail]

Here's the post from Alice:

Thread #3465   Message #17304
Posted By: Alice
08-Dec-97 - 09:25 PM
Thread Name: Italian Folksongs
Subject: Lyr Add: YEARS OF PEACE^^


I found this in an old book. It is described as a Sicilian Mariner's Air. (Is Sicily close enough for this thread?)


YEARS OF PEACE


Years are coming, speed them onward!
When the sword shall gather rust,
And the helmet, lance and falchion,
Sleep at last in silent dust!


Earth has heard too long of battle,
Heard the trumpet's voice too long,
But another age advances,
Seers foretold in ancient song.


Years are coming when forever,
War's dread banner shall be furled,
And the angel, Peace, be welcomed,
Regent of the happy world.


This was in an old book for community singing that I got when a one room schoolhouse closed down. The copyright is 1915. Alice in Montana

Subject: RE: DT Correction: Years Are Coming
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Nov 08 - 04:06 PM

The text was printed in Adin Ballou, 1849, no. 231. Falchion is in verse 4 as well.
Compiled by Adin Ballou, 1849, "The Hopedale Collection of Hymns and Songs, for the Use of Practical Christians," Hopedale, Mass., Hopedale Press, A. A. Ballou, Printer.

Ballou cites himself as author of the hymns-songs that are his. He did not do so with this poem, so the author was not known to him- it is not by Ballou.

231 .... P. M.
(No author or title cited)

1
Years are coming- speed them onward!
When the sword shall gather rust,
And the helmet, lance and falchion,
Sleep in silent dust!
2
Earth has heard too long of battle,
Heard the trumpet's voice too long;
But another age advances,
Seers fortold in song.
3
Years are coming when, forever,
War's dread banner shall be furled
And the angel Peace be welcomed,
Regent of the world!
4
Hail with song that glorious era,
When the sword shall gather rust,
And the helmet, lance and falchion,
Sleep in silent dust!

In the Introduction, Ballou says, "I found it so difficult to trace out the authorship of many hymns, that a considerable number are left uncredited." That is true of this hymn. He continued, "Many variations and supposed improvments have crept into hymns of the best authors. ....Ballou says that he has himself modified some of the texts.
No author or title cited for this song.

On line; find by googling: The Hopedale Collection of Hymns and Songs:

(I have some old books of songs and quotations- I'll take a look on the offchance that I can find the author).

Subject: RE: DT Correction: Years Are Coming / Years of Peace
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Nov 08 - 04:25 PM

Thanks, Q. I corrected the missing "falchion." See also Between the Lines By Jacqui James, a companion to Singing the Living Tradition

Years Are Coming
Adin Ballou (1803-1890) was a Universalist minister who founded the Hopedale Community, an experiment in "practical Christianity," in 1842. In 1849 the Hopedale Collection of Hymns and Songs for the Use of Practical Christians, compiled by Ballou and containing twenty of his pieces, was issued. This text, titled "Reign of Christian Peace" and credited to Hopedale College, is included in The Gospel Psalmist, 1861, in the section on "Christian Philanthropy and Reform." Two syllables were added to line 4 of each quatrain.

That Hopedale hymnal has some wonderful song lyrics.

Subject: RE: DT Correction: Years Are Coming / Years of Peace
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Nov 08 - 04:52 PM

The Hopedale Collection has some 316 hymns-songs; Ballou compiled the largest collection of early social issue hymns and songs, hence important to social history.

No. 243, by Eliza Cook, is one which is echoed to the present time-

1
While thousands move with aching head
And sing the ceaseless song,
'We starve, we die, oh give us bread!'
There must be something wrong.
etc.

Subject: RE: DT Correction: Years Are Coming / Years of Peace
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 Dec 08 - 11:13 AM

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