We’re Marching to Zion in Tonic Solfa
We’re Marching to Zion in Tonic Solfa to MARCHING TO ZION: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the six verses and the refrain, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dCome, | mwe--dthat-- | s,lovel,thet,Lord,dAnd-rlet | mour-djoyssbefknownm_ | r_----rJoin |
| min-mafsong-mwith | rsweet-dac-l,cord,-dJoin | rin-ramsong-rwith | dsweet-l,ac-s,cord,-s,And |
| dthus--rsur--- | mround-sthefthrone,-rAnd | dthus-dsur-rround-t,the | dthrone.----mWe’re |
| smarch---ming-mto | mZi---don,-- | mBeau--,rti-dful,sbeau--,fti-mful | rZi---son;-fWe’re |
| mmarch--mingmup-fwardsto | lZi---lon,sThefbeau- | mti--,mfulmcit-ry,rof-r_ | dGod.---- |
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- Key
- F major
- Doh
- F
- Time
- 6/8
- Starts on
- d (F)
- Range
- s, to l (C to D, a ninth)
- Tune
- MARCHING TO ZION
- Words
- Isaac Watts, Robert Lowry
- Music
- Robert Lowry
Tune MARCHING TO ZION by Robert Lowry (1826–1899); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748) and Robert Lowry (1826–1899). Sources and licences.
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 message to the choir. To print it, download the solfa as a PDF.
Doh is F · 6/8
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in F major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne.
Refrain
We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.
The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place;
Religion never was designed
To make our pleasures less.
Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heav’nly King
May speak their joys abroad.
The men of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow.
The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Or walk the golden streets.
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground
To fairer worlds on high.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum F 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 (F), on the word “Come”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 6/8 means two dotted-crotchet beats (six quavers) in each bar. In the grid every cell is half a crotchet: a dash (–) holds the note before it, and _ is a rest. A cell split by a comma holds two quarter beats: d -,r is a dotted quaver and a semiquaver, d,r two semiquavers. That comma sits between two syllables; an octave mark sits small and low against its own letter (s,).
- 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
Isaac Watts’s words were published in 1707. Robert Lowry added the refrain and wrote the tune in 1867.
- Words (1707): Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
- Refrain (1867): Robert Lowry (1826–1899)
- Music (1867): Robert Lowry (1826–1899)
Tune MARCHING TO ZION by Robert Lowry (1826–1899); words by Isaac Watts (1674–1748) and Robert Lowry (1826–1899).
Questions about We’re Marching to Zion
What is the doh of We’re Marching to Zion?
In this version, in F major, doh is F. 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 We’re Marching to Zion start on?
It starts on d (F in F major), a pickup on the word “Come” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is We’re Marching to Zion in the public domain?
Yes. Isaac Watts died in 1748, Robert Lowry died in 1899, Robert Lowry died in 1899; the words were first published in 1707 and the music in 1867. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in the UK, the EU, the United States and Nigeria. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.