The Ships Glide in at the Harbor’s Mouth

The ships glide in at the harbor’s mouth,
And the ships sail out to sea;
And the wind that sweeps from the sunny south
Is sweet as sweet can be.
There’s a world of toil and a world of pain,
And a world of trouble and care,
But O in a world where our Father reigns,
There is gladness everywhere!

The harvest waves in the breezy morn,
And the men go forth to reap;
The fullness comes to the tasseled corn,
Whether we wake or sleep.
And far on the hills by feet untrod
There are blossoms that scent the air,
For O in this world of our Father, God,
There is beauty everywhere!

Author: Unknown

Lyrics appear in late-19th/early-20th-century American hymnals and Sunday-school songbooks, often set to music by composers such as William J. Kirkpatrick or Hubert P. Main. No consistent authorial credit is given in primary sources; sometimes listed as "anon." or simply omitted. Not to be confused with Fanny Crosby or other prolific contemporaries who have been erroneously linked to it in modern reprints.