I'm but a Stranger Here in Tonic Solfa
I'm but a Stranger Here in Tonic Solfa: the solfa line by line with the words, staff notation, all 4 verses, and a piano to sing along with.
- Key
- G major
- Doh
- G
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (G)
- Range
- s, to l (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- ST. EDMUND (SULLIVAN)
- Words
- Thomas Rawson Taylor
- Music
- Arthur Seymour Sullivan
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ST. EDMUND (SULLIVAN) by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900); words by Thomas Rawson Taylor (1807–1835). Sources and licences.
The solfa with the words
| dI'm---dbut-da- | dstran--t,ger-rhere,--- |
| s,Heav'n---s,is-l,my- | s,home;------- |
| s,Earth---mis-ma- | mdes--rert-sdrear,--- |
| rHeav'n---t,is-l,my- | s,home.------- |
| rDan----mger-rand- | rsor--drow-s,stand--- |
| fround---mme-ron- | rev--dery-s,hand;--- |
| mHeav'n---lis-smy- | sfa--fther--mland,-r_- |
| dHeav'n---ris-t,my- | dhome.------- |
The solfa line by line
The same solfa as plain text, a line of the hymn at a time, with the words of the first verse under it — easy to copy into your own notes or a WhatsApp message to the choir.
Doh is G · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in G major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
I'm but a stranger here,
Heav'n is my home;
Earth is a desert drear,
Heav'n is my home.
Danger and sorrow stand
round me on every hand;
Heav'n is my fatherland,
Heav'n is my home.
What though the tempest rage,
Heav'n is my home;
Short is my pilgrimage,
Heav'n is my home;
Time's wild and wintry blast
soon shall be over past;
I shall reach home at last,
Heav'n is my home.
There at my Savior's side
Heav'n is my home;
I shall be glorified,
Heav'n is my home.
There are the good and blest,
those I loved most and best;
There, too, I soon shall rest,
Heav'n is my home.
Therefore I murmur not,
Heav'n is my home;
Whate'er my earthly lot,
Heav'n is my home;
And I shall surely stand
there at my Lord's right hand.
Heav'n is my fatherland,
Heav'n is my home.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum G and sing d r m f s up from it, so the whole choir has the key in their ears before you start.
- Pitch the first note. The tune starts on d (G).
- Count the time. 4/4 means four crotchet beats in each bar. In the grid every cell is half a crotchet: a dash (–) holds the note before it, and _ is a rest.
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s l t. A comma after a note (s,) is the octave below; an apostrophe (d') is the octave above.
New to solfa? Read how to read Tonic Solfa and how to find the doh of a song.
About the hymn
The words are by Thomas Rawson Taylor, first published in 1836. The tune, ST. EDMUND (SULLIVAN), is by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1872). This version of the melody and the words comes from the Open Hymnal Project.
- Words (1836): Thomas Rawson Taylor (1807–1835)
- Music (1872): Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900)
Melody and words from the Open Hymnal Project (public domain), edited by Brian J. Dumont; tune ST. EDMUND (SULLIVAN) by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842–1900); words by Thomas Rawson Taylor (1807–1835). The Open Hymnal Project publishes this hymn as public domain; NoteFusion's engine wrote the solfa from its notes. The melody has not yet been checked against a printed hymn book.
Questions about I'm but a Stranger Here
What is the doh of I'm but a Stranger Here?
In this version, in G major, doh is G. If your choir sings it in another key, doh moves to the new key note and every solfa syllable stays the same — that is what movable doh means.
What note does I'm but a Stranger Here start on?
It starts on d (G in G major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is I'm but a Stranger Here in the public domain?
Yes. Thomas Rawson Taylor died in 1835, Arthur Seymour Sullivan died in 1900; the words were first published in 1836 and the music in 1872. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in Nigeria, the UK, the EU and the United States. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.