The Slighted Stranger

A Stranger stands outside the door,
And longs thy Guest to be;
He knows thy name, for o’er and o’er
He softly calls to thee!
His hands are pierced, His brow is torn,
His face is sad, but sweet—
It is the Lord of Paradise!
Arise, thy Savior greet.

Refrain

He was wounded for thy transgressions;
He was bruisèd for thy sin;
Yet He stands at thy heart’s door pleading,
Why, O why not let Him in?

From lonely, dark Gethsemane,
Thru Pilate’s hall of shame,
Up over cruel Calvary,
To thee in love He came!
Despised! Rejected! Crucified!
O love, O grace unknown,
That He should still remember thee,
And claim thee for His own!

Refrain

Yet still He waits and calls to thee,
Although ye scarce can hear
The pleading voice, so often has
It fallen on thine ear:
O soul, arise and let Him in,
Lest from the bolted door
In sorrow He should turn away,
To call for thee no more.

Refrain

Author: Unknown

Lyrics appear in early 20th-century American gospel songbooks (often linked to publishers like Homer Rodeheaver or E. O. Excell). No clear single author is credited in most hymnals; it is frequently listed as anonymous or traditional. The style and refrain suggest a camp-meeting or revival-song writer active around 1900-1920, but no definitive attribution (such as to Fanny Crosby or similar figures) has been established.