Life's Railway to Heaven > Lyrics

Life's Railway to Heaven Eliza R. Snow M. E. Abbey Copyright: Public Domain Main subject: Exhortation Scripture: Psalm 48:14 Life's Railway to Heaven [.xml] Charles D. Tillman Copyright: Public Domain Key: A♭ Meter: 8.7.8.7 D R Learn about playing music formats... view Scorch sheet music [.sib] view PDF sheet music [.pdf] play midi [.mid]	Life is like a mountain railway, With an engineer that’s brave; We must make the run successful, From the cradle to the grave; Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels; Never falter, never fail; Keep your hands upon the throttle, And your eyes upon the rail. Refrain: Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us, Till we reach that blissful shore, Where the angels wait to join us In Thy praise forevermore. You will roll up grades of trial; You will cross the bridge of strife; See that Christ is your conductor On this lightning train of life; Always mindful of obstruction, Do your duty, never fail; Keep your hands upon the throttle, And your eyes upon the rail. You will often find obstructions, Look for storms and wind and rain; On a fill, or curve, or trestle They will almost ditch your train; Put your trust alone in Jesus, Never falter, never fail; Keep your hands upon the throttle, And your eyes upon the rail. As you roll across the trestle, Spanning Jordan’s swelling tide, You behold the Union Depot Into which your train will glide; There you’ll meet the Sup’rintendent, God, the Father, God the Son, With the hearty, joyous plaudit, “Weary Pilgrim, welcome home.” The origin of this song is murky. Eliza R. Snow may have written the original lyrics, with M. E. Abbey (a Baptist minister in Georgia in the 1890s) supplying the chorus. There is a similar poem/hymn by Snow, called “Truth Reflects upon Our Senses,” which Tillman put to this same tune in 1909.

Life is like a mountain railway,
With an engineer that’s brave;
We must make the run successful,
From the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels;
Never falter, never fail;
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.
- Refrain:
  Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
  Till we reach that blissful shore,
  Where the angels wait to join us
  In Thy praise forevermore.
You will roll up grades of trial;
You will cross the bridge of strife;
See that Christ is your conductor
On this lightning train of life;
Always mindful of obstruction,
Do your duty, never fail;
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.
You will often find obstructions,
Look for storms and wind and rain;
On a fill, or curve, or trestle
They will almost ditch your train;
Put your trust alone in Jesus,
Never falter, never fail;
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.
As you roll across the trestle,
Spanning Jordan’s swelling tide,
You behold the Union Depot
Into which your train will glide;
There you’ll meet the Sup’rintendent,
God, the Father, God the Son,
With the hearty, joyous plaudit,
“Weary Pilgrim, welcome home.”

The origin of this song is murky. Eliza R. Snow may have written the original lyrics, with M. E. Abbey (a Baptist minister in Georgia in the 1890s) supplying the chorus. There is a similar poem/hymn by Snow, called “Truth Reflects upon Our Senses,” which Tillman put to this same tune in 1909.