Funeral reading
Abide With Me
Henry Francis Lyte, 1847
“Abide With Me” by Henry Francis Lyte, 1847 is a hymn read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 4 minutes read aloud, usually by everyone together. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
Abide with me! fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens: Lord, with me abide When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
What it is about
Traditional and slow. Suits an older congregation who will actually sing.
Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: eventide · traditional · an older congregation · evening · comfort.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Abide With Me” take to read aloud?
“Abide With Me” takes about 4 minutes read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “Abide With Me”?
Everyone together, rather than one reader. “Abide With Me” runs about 4 minutes and needs the words in front of the room — in an order of service, on a screen, or led line by line by the officiant.
Can “Abide With Me” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Checked word for word against a full-text edition that is itself the authority — a Project Gutenberg or Wikisource transcription, a publisher’s own edition, or the issuing body’s page.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Nearer, My God, to Thee4 minutesSarah Flower Adams, 1841
- What a Friend We Have in Jesus4 minutesJoseph Scriven, 1855
- Amazing Grace4 minutesJohn Newton, 1779
- The Old Rugged Cross4 minutesGeorge Bennard, 1913
- The Lord's My Shepherd (Crimond)4 minutesScottish Psalter, 1650
- How Great Thou Art5 minutesStuart K. Hine (English text, 1949)