Analysis of There Is a River We All Must Cross

Henry Clay Work 1832 (Middletown, Connecticut) – 1884 (Hartford, Connecticut)



There is a river we all must cross,
Thousands will pass it tomorrow;
Some will go down to its waters with joy,
Others with anguish and sorrow.

Some will be welcom'd by angel bands,
Coming from over the river;
Others be borne by the current adown,
Where there is none to deliver.

These shall land safely in Eden's bow'rs,
Wearing the white robes of pardon;
Those shall be cast on a desolate shore,
Far from the gates of the garden.

These shall have voices to join the song
Ever from Eden ascending;
Those shall unite in the wailings of woe
Woe, that hath never an ending.

Over the river we all must cross,
Jesus may call us tomorrow;
Shall we go down to its waters with joy?
Shall we with anguish and sorrow?


Scheme ABCB XDED AEXE XFBF ABCB
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 110101111 1011101 1111111011 10110010 111101101 10110010 101110101 11111010 11110011 10011110 1111101001 11011010 111101101 10110010 11100111 11110110 100101111 1011101 1111111011 11110010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 696
Words 135
Sentences 7
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 111
Words per stanza (avg) 27
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

41 sec read
68

Henry Clay Work

Henry Clay Work was an American composer and songwriter. more…

All Henry Clay Work poems | Henry Clay Work Books

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