This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Desire of Nations
Staff Notation • Sacred
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
SATB · Barry Johnston
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Desire of Nations by Oliver Holden — Lyrics
When shall thy lovely face be seen?
When shall our eyes behold our God?
What lengths of distance lie between,
And hills of guilt. A heavy load!
Our months are ages of delay,
And slowly every minute wears.
Fly, winged time, and roll away
These tedious rounds of sluggish years,
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About Desire of Nations
These heartfelt English words express a fervent longing for the return of Christ, portraying the believer's journey as a painful separation from God. The text speaks of weary delay and the overwhelming burden of sin, praying for time to accelerate and for divine intervention to bridge the gulf. The SATB choir sings of the saints' united cries, pleading for the "desire of nations" to come and end the "general doom." It is a profound expression of eschatological hope, a call for ultimate redemption and reunion with the divine.
