Who Is on the Lord’s Side? in Tonic Solfa
Who Is on the Lord’s Side? in Tonic Solfa to ARMAGEDDON: the solfa with the words, staff notation, the five verses, and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| sWho-sis-m'on-r'the- | d'Lord’s---sside?--- |
| lWho-lwill-d'serve-d'the- | sKing?------- |
| seWho-sewill-lbe-d'His- | m'help----r'ers,--- |
| d'oth--ler-slives-feto- | sbring?------- |
| sWho-swill-lleave-mthe- | sworld’s---fside?--- |
| tWho-swill-d'face-mthe- | rfoe?------- |
| mWho-dis-fon-rthe- | sLord’s-mside?-lWho-ffor- |
| mHim---rwill--- | dgo?------- |
| d'By-sThy-mcall-dof- | lmer----scy,--- |
| dby-rThy-mgrace-fdi-- | svine,------- |
| d'We--d'ared'on-d'the- | m'Lord’s---d'side,--- |
| sSa--d'viour,-r'we--d'are | d'Thine!------- |
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- Key
- C major
- Doh
- C
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- s (G)
- Range
- d to m' (C to E, a tenth)
- Tune
- ARMAGEDDON
- Music
- German melody, John Goss
Tune ARMAGEDDON by John Goss (1800–1880); words by Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879). 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 C · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in C major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?
Who will be His helpers, other lives to bring?
Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe?
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?
By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Saviour, we are Thine!
Not for weight of glory, nor for crown and palm,
Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm;
But for love that claimeth lives for whom He died:
He whom Jesus saveth marches on His side.
By Thy love constraining, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Saviour, we are Thine!
Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem,
But with Thine own lifeblood, for Thy diadem;
With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee,
Thou hast made us willing, Thou hast made us free.
By Thy grand redemption, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Saviour, we are Thine!
Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
But the King’s own army none can overthrow;
’Round His standard ranging, vict’ry is secure,
For His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Saviour, we are Thine!
Chosen to be soldiers, in an alien land,
Chosen, called, and faithful, for our Captain’s band;
In the service royal, let us not grow cold,
Let us be right loyal, noble, true and bold.
Master, wilt Thou keep us, by Thy grace divine,
Always on the Lord’s side—Saviour, always Thine!
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum C 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 s (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 and the chromatic se fe. 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
Frances Ridley Havergal wrote the words in 1877. The tune ARMAGEDDON is a German melody arranged by John Goss in 1871.
- Words (1877): Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879)
- Melody: German melody
- Arranged (1871): John Goss (1800–1880)
Tune ARMAGEDDON by John Goss (1800–1880); words by Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879).
Questions about Who Is on the Lord’s Side?
What is the doh of Who Is on the Lord’s Side??
In this version, in C major, doh is C. 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 Who Is on the Lord’s Side? start on?
It starts on s (G in C major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to s.
Is Who Is on the Lord’s Side? in the public domain?
Yes. Frances Ridley Havergal died in 1879, John Goss died in 1880; the words were first published in 1877 and the music in 1871. 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.