O Sometimes the Shadows Are Deep

245 O Sometimes the Shadows Are Deep

1 O sometimes the shadows are deep,
   And rough seems the path to the goal,
   And sorrows, sometimes how they sweep
   Like tempests down over the soul!

Refrain:
   O then to the Rock let me fly,
   To the Rock that is higher than I;
   O then to the Rock let me fly,
   To the Rock that is higher than I!

2 O sometimes how long seems the day,
   And sometimes how weary my feet;
   But toiling in life's dusty way,
   The Rock's blessed shadow, how sweet! [Refrain]

3 O near to the Rock let me keep
   If blessings or sorrow prevail,
   Or climbing the mountain way steep,
   Or walking the shadowy vale. [Refrain]
                         Erastus Johnson
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Check out his biography, linked above. This is interesting:

On the advice of his physician he took a sea voyage, embarging on the ship Gold Hunter en route from New York to California. The crew of the ship mutinied just before rounding Cape Horn and as Johnson was the only person on board who knew anything about navigation, other than the captive officers, he was pressed into service to take the ship on to its destination, San Francisco. This he was able to do successfully.

</idle musing>