Abide with me, fast falls the eventide
```
{title: Abide with Me}
{key: C}
{verse}
[C] Abide with me, fast falls the eventide;
[F] The darkness deepens; Lord, with me [C] abide.
[G] When other helpers fail, and comforts [C] flee,
[Am] Help of the helpless, O abide with [C] me.
{verse}
[C] Swift to its close ebbs out life's little [F] day;
[C] Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass [G] away,
[C] Change and decay in all around I [F] see;
[Am] O thou, who changest not, abide with [C] me.
{verse}
[C] I need thy presence every passing [F] hour;
[C] What but thy grace can foil the tempter's [G] power?
[C] Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can [F] be?
[Am] Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with [C] me.
{verse}
[C] I fear no foe, with thee at hand to [F] bless;
[C] Ills have no weight, and tears no [G] bitterness,
[C] Where is death's sting? where grave, thy [F] victory?
[Am] I triumph still, if thou abide with [C] me.
{verse}
[C] Hold thou thy cross before my closing [F] eyes;
[C] Shine through the gloom, and point me to the [G] skies;
[C] Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows [F] flee;
[Am] In life, in death, O Lord, abide with [C] me.
```
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away,
Change and decay in all around I see;
O thou, who changest not, abide with me.
I need thy presence every passing hour;
What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness,
Where is death's sting? where grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.
Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Downloads
Get instant access to PDF sheet music and PPT slides for all hymns.
About This Hymn
“Abide with Me” was written in 1847 by the Anglican clergyman Henry Francis Lyte. According to commonly repeated accounts, Lyte composed the text while suffering from tuberculosis and sensing that his life was nearing its end. He was serving in the coastal village of Brixham, England, and the imagery of fading light and gathering darkness is often linked to both the evening setting and his awareness of mortality. Shortly after writing the hymn, Lyte left England for a warmer climate in hopes of improving his health; he died later that year. The hymn’s plea for God’s abiding presence reflects themes of transience, comfort, and faith amid decline. The well-known tune “Eventide,” now inseparable from the text, was composed later by William Henry Monk in 1861, so it was not originally paired with Lyte’s words. While some details of Lyte’s exact circumstances come from later recollections and may be embellished, the hymn has endured as a deeply personal meditation on steadfast divine companionship in life’s final hours.