There's a Light in the Window for Thee

DESCRIPTION: "There’s a light in the window for thee, brother, There’s a light in the window for thee; A dear one has moved to the mansions above...." "A mansion in heaven we see." "There's a crown and a robe and a palm." "O watch and be faithful and pray"
AUTHOR: Words: Edward Weldon Dunbar (1823-?) / Music: William B. Bradbury (source: sample music at hymnary.org)
EARLIEST DATE: 1869 (Love-Among-the-Roses-Songster)
KEYWORDS: religious brother | window light mansion
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REFERENCES (2 citations):
Love-Among-the-Roses-Songster, p. 60, "There's a Light in the Window for Thee" (1 text)
Velocipede-Songster, p. 28, "There's a Light in the Window for Thee" (1 text)
Roud #4987
NOTES [134 words]: It appears to me that Roud #4987 includes several different pieces with similar titles, but I have not investigated in detail.
The Love-Among-the-Roses-Songster version of this is preceded by a long testimonial claiming it is about a boy who is late coming home whose mother is dying. It is told in the first person but does not name the author beyond the first name "Edward."
Hymntime.org has a biography of Edward Weldon Dunbar that claims the text is based on his actual history. He apparently died as an itinerant preacher; he had also once been convicted of bigamy. The records do not agree on the year of his death, although it was probably between 1893 and 1897. Sounds like a truly peculiar character.
For background on William B. Bradbury, see the notes to "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us." - RBW
Last updated in version 7.1
File: LARS060

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