1Shall we gather at the river,Where bright angel-feet have trod,With its crystal tide foreverFlowing by the throne of God?
Yes, we’ll gather at the river;The beautiful, the beautiful river,Gather with the saints at the riverThat flows by the throne of God.
2On the margin of the river,Washing up its silver spray,We will walk and worship ever,All the happy, golden day.
3Ere we reach the shining river,Lay we every burden down;Grace our spirits will deliver,And provide a robe and crown.
4At the smiling of the river,Mirror of the Saviour’s face,Saints, whom death will never sever,Lift their songs of saving grace.
5Soon we’ll reach the silver river,Soon our pilgrimage will cease;Soon our happy hearts will quiverWith the melody of peace.
Text from archive.org. Public domain in the US and UK.
Where it comes in the service
In a Church of England funeral hymns may be sung at any suitable point; the Church's own step-by-step guide places one once everyone has gathered and another after the prayers. At a Catholic funeral Mass there is an entrance song, Communion hymns and a closing hymn at the procession.
In step 5 you can tick exactly which verses to print.
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Shall We Gather at the River is in the public domain in the United States (first published 1865) and in the United Kingdom (author died 1899), so the words can be printed in a booklet without permission or a fee.
Printed here as in the source, except: Verse 1 line 1: the OCR shows a full stop after 'river'; a comma is used, as in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920); Refrain line 2: dash after 'the beautiful river' replaced with a comma, as in The Army and Navy Hymnal.