All Things Bright and Beautiful - Words

Words

The words of the song are:

1. All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

2. Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colours,

He made their tiny wings.

All things bright ...

3. The rich man in his castle,

The poor man at his gate,

God made them high and lowly,

And ordered their estate.

All things bright ...

4. The purple headed mountain,

The river running by,

The sunset and the morning,

That brightens up the sky;−

All things bright ...

5. The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden,−

He made them every one:

All things bright ...

6. The tall trees in the greenwood,

The meadows where we play,

The rushes by the water,

We gather every day;−

All things bright ...

7. He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell,

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

All things bright ...

(Amen)

It has been claimed that Cecil Francis Alexander wrote her "All things Bright and Beautiful" whilst staying at the Govilon manor house and inspired by her surroundings. The refrain "The purple headed mountains, The river running by," referring to the Sugar Loaf and Blorenge mountains and the River Usk.

It has also been claimed that the purple headed mountain refers to Grabbist Hill at Dunster and the river to the River Avill.

In more modern times, due to its endorsement of the class system, verse three is mostly omitted.

The United Church of Canada includes a fourth verse, which seems particularly appropriate to Canadian geography:

"The rocky mountain splendour, / the lone wolf's haunting call, / the great lakes and the prairies, / the forest in the fall.