Hymn Chords

606. Once to Every Man and Nation

Em      B  C   Am6  B   Em
Once to ev-ery man  and nation,

G     D  C  B  Em   Am  B7 Em
Comes the   mo-ment to  de-cide,

Em     B      C#m Am6  B    Em
In the strife of truth with falsehood,

G   D  C  B    Em Am  B7  Em
For the   good or e - vil side;

G          Dsus   D     Em      Bsus B
Some great cause, God’s new Mes-si - ah,

Em Em7    Am   C   Em    Am  B
Of-fering each the bloom or  blight,

Em  B   C      Am6  Am6  B   Em
And the choice goes by   for-ever,

G      D    G    C    Am  B7   Em
‘Twixt that dark-ness and that light.


[[Full Lyrics]]

[Verse 1]
Once to every man and nation,
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, God’s new Messiah,
Offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever,
‘Twixt that darkness and that light.

[Verse 2]
Then to side with truth is noble,
When we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit,
And ‘tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses
While the coward stands aside,
Till the multitude make virtue
Of the faith they had denied.

[Verse 3]
By the light of burning martyrs,
Christ, Thy bleeding feet we track,
Toiling up new Calvaries ever
With the cross that turns not back;
New occasions teach new duties,
Time makes ancient good uncouth,
They must upward still and onward,
Who would keep abreast of truth.

[Verse 4]
Though the cause of evil prosper,
Yet ‘tis truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold,
And upon the throne be wrong;
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow,
Keeping watch above His own.