Lyrics
Verse 1
There's coming a day when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky
No more tears to dim the eye
All is peace forever more
On that happy golden shore
What a day, glorious day that will be
Chorus
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon His face the one who saved me by His grace
When He takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land
What a day, glorious day that will be
Verse 2
There will be no sorrows there
And no more burdens to bear
No more sickness and no more pain
No more parting over there
And forever I will be with the one who died for me
What a day, glorious day that will be
Chorus (Repeat x2)
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"What a Day That Will Be" opens by describing an anticipated future directly, no heartaches, no clouds, no tears, building a list of absences that defines coming peace by what will no longer exist. That structure, joy described through removed sorrow, frames the entire hymn around contrast with present hardship.
Its chorus turns from description to personal encounter, naming the specific moment of seeing Jesus face to face and being led by the hand into a promised land. That shift from general peace to a named, personal meeting gives the hymn's anticipated day its central, relational focus.
Rooted in Southern gospel hymn tradition, the hymn functions as an extended anticipation of heaven's final comfort, its second verse listing sickness, pain, and parting as further absences to be enjoyed there, closing each verse on the same repeated exclamation of a glorious day still to come.
Related Scripture
- Revelation 21:4 Describes no more tears, death, sorrow, or pain, directly echoed throughout the hymn's description of a coming day.
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 Describes seeing God face to face, directly echoed in the hymn's chorus about seeing Jesus.