I'LL praise my Maker with my breath,
Verse 1
I' LL praise my Maker with my breath, And when my voice is lost in death, Praise shall employ my nobler powers: My days of praise shall ne'er be past, While life and thought and being last, Or immortality endures.
Verse 2
Why should I make a man my trust? Princes must die and turn to dust! Vain is the help of flesh and blood: Their breath departs, their pomp and power And thoughts all vanish in an hour, Nor can they make their promise good.
Verse 3
Happy the man whose hopes rely On Israel's God: He made the sky, And earth, and seas, with all their train: His truth for ever stands secure; He saves the oppress'd, He feeds the poor, And none shall find His promise vain.
Verse 4
The Lord hath eyes to give the blind; The Lord supports the sinking mind; He sends the labouring conscience peace: He helps the stranger in distress, The widow and the fatherless, And grants the prisoners sweet release.
Verse 5
He loves His saints, He knows them well, But turns the wicked down to hell; Thy God, O Zion, ever reigns: Let every tongue, let every age, In this exalted work engage;
Verse 6
I'll praise Him while He lends me breath, And when my voice is lost in death, Praise shall employ my nobler powers: My days of praise shall ne'er be past, While life, and thought, and being last, Or immortality endures.
