Bringing In the Sheaves

American Gospel song

Bringing in the Sheaves
by Knowles Shaw
Hymn writer Knowles Shaw
Genre	Hymn
Written	1874
Based on	Psalm 126:6
Meter	12.11.12.11 with refrain

"Bringing in the Sheaves" is a popular American Gospel song used almost exclusively by Protestant Christians (though the content is not specifically Protestant in nature). The lyrics were written in 1874 by Knowles Shaw, who was inspired by Psalm 126:6, "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."^[1] Shaw also wrote music for these words, but they are now usually set to a tune by George Minor, written in 1880.^[2]

Lyrics

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,

Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;

Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain:

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,

Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze;

By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,

Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;

When our weeping's over, He will bid us welcome,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.^[3]

Refrain

In popular culture

The hymn's refrain was sung in the 1933 movie Tillie and Gus starring W.C. Fields.^[4]
The hymn was sung in the 1938 movie Of Human Hearts starring Walter Huston.
The hymn was sung in the 1948 movie 3 Godfathers starring John Wayne.^[5]
The hymn was sung in the 1955 movie The Night of the Hunter starring Robert Mitchum.^[6]
Charles Ives used fragments of this and other 19th-century American secular and spiritual songs in his 2nd Symphony.^[7]
In the 1966 film Batman, this song is played by a marching band as Batman tries to dispose of a bomb.^[8]
The hymn's refrain was sung in several episodes of the TV show Little House on the Prairie.^[9]
The hymn's refrain was sung by Rod and Todd Flanders in the 1992 episode Bart the Lover of The Simpsons.^[10]
The hymn's refrain was sung in the first episode of the 2020 miniseries The Queen's Gambit.^[11]
The hymn's refrain was sung at church in the 2014 episode of the TV show Two and a Half Men titled "Miss Pasternak"

References

^ ""LIFE OF KNOWLES SHAW THE SINGING EVANGELIST" by William Baxter, at therestorationmovement.com". Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
^ Kalinak, Kathryn (2007). How the West Was Sung: Music in the Westerns of John Ford (illustrated ed.). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520252349. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^ "429. Bringing In the Sheaves". Harry Plantinga. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
^ "W.C. Fields, Alison Skipworth and Baby LeRoy in a Wild Pictorial Farce at the Rialto -- Other Films". The New York Times. November 13, 1933. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
^ Pisani, Michael (May 2009). "Reviewed Work: How the West Was Sung: Music in the Westerns of John Ford by Kathryn Kalinak". Pacific Historical Review. 78 (2): 312.
^ "The Night of the Hunter (credits)". AFI. January 9, 1954. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
^ "Symphony No. 2 (Charles Ives)". LA Phil. August 9, 1960. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
^ "Church highlights hymns in films – Baptist News Global". Baptist News Global. March 29, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
^ ""Little House on the Prairie" Mr. Edward's Homecoming (TV Episode 1974) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
^ Jean, Al. (2003). Easter Egg commentary for "Bart the Lover", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
^ "Openings (credits)". IMDb. Retrieved July 13, 2022.