Lyrics
1 AND am I born to die?
To lay this body down?
And must my trembling spirit fly
Into a world unknown -
A land of deepest shade,
Unpierced by human thought,
The dreary regions of the dead,
Where all things are forgot?
2 Soon as from earth I go,
What will become of me?
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my portion be;
Waked by the trumpet's sound,
I from my grave shall rise,
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies.
3 How shall I leave my tomb?
With triumph or regret?
A fearful or a joyful doom,
A curse or blessing meet?
Will angel-bands convey
Their brother to the bar?
Or devils drag my soul away,
To meet its sentence there?
4 Who can resolve the doubt
That tears my anxious breast?
Shall I be with the damned cast out,
Or numbered with the blest?
I must from God be driven,
Or with my Saviour dwell;
Must come at his command to heaven,
Or else - depart to hell.
5 O thou that wouldst not have
One wretched sinner die,
Who died'st thyself; my soul to save
From endless misery!
Show me the way to shun
Thy dreadful wrath severe,
That when thou comest on thy throne
I may with joy appear.
6 Thou art thyself the Way;
Thyself in me reveal;
So shall I spend my life's short day
Obedient to thy will;
So shall I love my God,
Because he first loved me,
And praise thee in thy bright abode,
To all eternity.
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“And Am I Born to Die?” is a searching hymn about mortality, judgment, and the hope of salvation in Christ. Its questions move from the certainty of death to the soul’s final destiny, refusing to treat eternity as an abstract subject. The images of the trumpet, the opened grave, and the crowned Judge give the hymn a solemn biblical gravity. Fear is present, but it leads toward prayer rather than despair.
The final stanzas turn from anxious uncertainty to Christ as the Way. The singer asks for deliverance from sin, obedience during life’s brief span, and joy when Christ appears. That movement gives the hymn its spiritual shape: honest concern about judgment yields to trust in the Savior who died for sinners. The closing confession that love for God answers divine love places assurance in grace, while still calling for a faithful life and praise that continues into eternity.
Related Scripture
- Hebrews 9:27 The verse links human death with the judgment that follows.
- John 14:6 Jesus identifies himself as the Way, matching the hymn’s final appeal.
- 1 John 4:19 The hymn echoes the declaration that love for God answers his prior love.