Sing We Now at Parting
156

Text: George Manwaring (1854–1889; LDS)
Music: Ebenezer Beesley (1840–1906; LDS)
Tune name: PARTING

First published in 1880, this satisfying and appealing closing hymn has served Latter- day Saints for more than a century. It combines gratitude for our blessings with a petition for the Lord’s companionship. As the meeting concludes, we return to our daily lives with a prayer that we may be more obedient and watchful.

“Sing We Now at Parting” puts a final “amen” on a sacrament meeting or other Sabbath gathering. We pause to thank our Father for his blessings, and then, in verse three, we pray directly for his guidance in the days to come. In the final two lines of verse three, we commit ourselves to thank him not only with our voices but also with our obedience and service.

J. Spencer Cornwall said: “This hymn will never become trite or worn out. It has a genteel loveliness about it which makes it beloved. It is beautifully written in both text and music” (Stories of Our Mormon Hymns, 177–78).

The eleven hymn tunes in the 1985 hymnal that were composed by Ebenezer Beesley are among the most popular in Latter- day Saint hymnody. They include the tunes for “High on the Mountain Top” (no. 5), “God of Our Fathers, We Come unto Thee” (no. 76), and “Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words” (no. 232). George Manwaring’s talent is also well represented in our hymnal with five hymn texts, including “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer” (no. 26) and “‘Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love” (nos. 176; 177).

“Sing We Now at Parting” was published in 1880 by both the Juvenile Instructor and the Tune Book for the Primary Association.