'Will the Circle Be Unbroken" is a Christian hymn written by Ada Habershon in 1907. In this hymn, Habershon reflects upon rejoining her family and friends in the afterlife of heaven, "a better home awaiting in the sky." This hopeful, yet somber Christian tune ponders who we will reconnect with when it is our time to depart this world. Find the full lyrics of the hymn and the background story of its author below.
1 There are loved ones in the glory
Whose dear forms you often miss,
When you close your earthly story
Will you join them in their bliss?
Refrain:
Will the circle be unbroken
by and by, yes, by and by?
In a better home awaiting
in the sky, in the sky?
2 In the joyous days of childhood,
Oft they told of wondrous love,
Pointed to the dying Savior,
Now they dwell with Him above. [Refrain]
3 You remember songs of heaven
Which you sang with childish voice,
Do you love the hymns they taught you,
Or are songs of earth your choice? [Refrain]
4 You can picture happy gatherings
Round the fireside long ago,
And you think of tearful partings,
When they left you here below. [Refrain]
5 One by one their seats were empty,
One by one they went away,
Now the family is parted,
Will it be complete one day? [Refrain]
The Story Behind Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Ada Ruth Habershon was an English Christian hymnist, most recognized for her 1907 gospel song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" for which the melody was composed by Charles H. Gabriel.
According to Wikipedia, "Ada R. Habershon was born in Marylebone, England, on 8 January 1861. Her father, Dr. Samuel Osborne Habershon, was a noted physician; her mother was Grace Habershon. She was raised in Chelsea, London, in a Christian home. In her twenties, she was a member of the circle surrounding Charles Spurgeon. She met Dwight L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey in 1884 during their preaching tour of England. At their urging, she visited the United States, delivering a series of lectures on the Old Testament that were later published."