1. My Father is rich in houses and lands, He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands! Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold, His coffers are full, He has riches untold. 2. My Father's own Son, the Savior of men, Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them; But now He is reigning forever on high, And will give me a home in heav'n by and by. 3. I once was an outcast stranger on earth, A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth; But I've been adopted, my name's written down, An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown. 4. A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They're building a palace for me over there; Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing; All glory to God, I'm a child of the King. Chorus: I'm a child of the King, A child of the King: With Jesus my Savior, I'm a child of the King.
Lyrics: Harriet Eugenia Peck Buell
Music: John Bunnell Sumner
Tune: BINGHAMTON
Meter: 10.11.11.11. with Refrain
Harriett E. Buell, 1834–1910
Harriett Buell wrote the words for “A Child of the King” one Sunday morning while walking home from her Methodist church service. She sent her text to the Northern Christian Advocate, and it was printed in the February 1, 1877 issue of the magazine. John Sumner, a singing school music teacher, saw the words and composed the music without Harriett Buell’s knowledge.