Seated one day at the organ, I was weary and ill at ease, And my fingers wandered idly Over the noisy keys; I know not what I was playing, Or what I was dreaming then, But I struck one chord of music, Like the sound of a great Amen, Like the sound of a great Amen. It flooded the crimson twilight, Like the close of an angel's psalm, And it lay on my fever'd spirit, With a touch of infinite calm, It quieted pain and sorrow, Like love overcoming strife, It seemed the harmonious echo Of our discordant life. It link'd all perplexing meanings Into one perfect peace, And trembled away into silence, As if it were loth to cease. I have sought, but I seek it vainly, That one lost chord divine, Which came from the soul of the organ, And enter'd into mine. It may be that death's bright angel Will speak in that chord again; It may be that only in heav'n I shall hear that great Amen. It may be that death's bright angel Will speak in that chord again; It may be that only in heav'n I shall hear that great Amen.
Lyrics: Adelaide Anne Procter
Music: Arthur Seymour Sullivan