Hold to God's Unchanging Hand

DESCRIPTION: Chorus: "Hold to God's unchanging hand (2x), Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God's unchanging hand." Verses: Nothing on earth is permanent. If friends desert you "seek to gain heavenly treasures. They will never pass away"
AUTHOR: WORDS: Jennie Wilson / MUSIC: F.L. Eiland (music) (source: Date)
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (Townsend); copyright 1906
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
DT, HOLDTO
ADDITIONAL: Mrs. A.M. Townsend, The Baptist Standard Hymnal with Responsive Readings (Nashville: Sunday School Publishing Board National Baptist Convention, 1924 ("Digitized by Internet Archive")), #298 p. 238, "Hold to God's Unchanging Hand" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #16987
RECORDINGS:
Reverend Gary Davis, "Hold to God's Unchanging Hand" (on "Say No to the Devil," Prestige/Bluesville CD OBCCD-519-2, 1990, rec. 1961)
Mississippi John Hurt, "God's Unchanging Hand" (on MJHurt05)
Evelyn & Douston Ramsey, "Hold to God's Unchanging Hand" (on FarMtns2)
NOTES [83 words]: Gary Davis keeps the Wilson chorus and the Eiland tune, but none of the verses. His four verses include two half verses from Sankey, "If you cannot give your thousands" and "If you cannot speak like angels" (Ira D. Sankey, Sankey's Sacred Songs and Solos (1200 Hymns) (London: Collins, 1921?), #813, ("Hark the voice of Jesus crying")). "If you cannot speak like angels, If you cannot preach like Paul, You can tell the love of Jesus, You can say He died for all" has become a floating verse. - BS
Last updated in version 4.3
File: DTholdto

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