Till the Boat Comes By

In the house of many mansions,
With its portals bright and fair,
I am laying up my treasures,
And my heart will soon be there.

Refrain

At the river that divides me
From my Father’s house on high,
I am waiting, I am watching,
Till the boat comes by.

I have seen it in the distance,
As it bent its snowy sail,
To the music of the waters,
And the whisper of the gale.

Refrain

In the house of many mansions,
Dwells my Savior and my King;
I shall see Him in His beauty,
And His praise my tongue shall sing.

Refrain

Oh, that boat will soon be coming,
It will bear me home, I know,
To the house of many mansions,
And the friends of long ago.

Refrain

Author: Fanny Crosby

Year: 1894

Fanny Crosby (Frances Jane Crosby) wrote hundreds of hymns with nautical and river imagery; this text matches her style and appears in late-19th-century collections under her name (sometimes with music by Phoebe Knapp). No strong alternate attributions found.