Only waiting till the shadows
Are a little longer grown;
Only waiting till the glimmer
Of the day's last beam is flown:
Till the night of earth has faded
From the heart once full of day;
Till the stars of heaven are breaking
Through the twilight soft and grey.
Only waiting till the reapers
Have the last sheaf gathered home;
For the summer time has faded,
And the autumn winds have come.
Quickly, reapers! gather quickly
All the ripe hours of my heart;
For the bloom of life is withered,
And I hasten to depart.
Only waiting till the angels
Open wide the pearly gate,
At whose portals long I've lingered,
Weary, poor, and desolate:
Even now I hear their footsteps,
And their voices far away;
If they call me, I am waiting,
Only waiting to obey.
Waiting for a brighter dwelling
Than I ever yet have seen,
Where the tree of life is blooming,
And the fields are ever green:
Waiting for my full redemption,
When my Saviour shall restore
All that sin has caused to wither:
Pain and sorrow come no more.