The Six Hymns Project continues with our fifth hymn, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. The composer of the tune, Anthony J. Showalter, "received letters from two friends who had lost their wives about the same time. He wrote back to express his sympathy, and included a verse of Scripture: 'The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms' (Deuteronomy 33:27 KJV). As he thought about that text, he wrote the music and refrain to this hymn. He asked Elisha Hoffman to write the stanzas" and the hymn was published in 1887 (hymnary.org).
We will sing this hymn as our Pre-Service Song for the month of May, as we continue learning to sing in parts. Take a listen to your part in advance so you can sing along! You'll notice that the Tenor and Bass parts sing different words during the chorus (written in italics on the sheet music).
