In the Garden C. Austin Miles, 1912
3 verses and a refrain, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear,
Falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.
Refrain And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
Verse 2. He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody
That He gave to me,
Within my heart is ringing.
Verse 3. I’d stay in the garden with Him
Tho’ the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go;
Thro’ the voice of woe,
His voice to me is calling.
Sing the refrain after every verse.
Words copied from Gospel Hymns and Songs (1918). They were published in 1912, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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The story behind In the Garden
C. Austin Miles wrote both the words and the music in March 1912. He was a pharmacist who left that trade in 1892 to write gospel songs, and he worked for the Hall-Mack Publishing Company for 37 years. Miles said he was in his darkroom reading John 20 when he saw Mary Magdalene come to the garden tomb and meet the risen Jesus. He wrote the poem as fast as the words came and set it to music that evening. The song first appeared in Gospel Message No. 2 (Hall-Mack, 1912), a book Miles co-edited. Homer Rodeheaver used it in evangelistic meetings with Billy Sunday, and it was sung often in Billy Graham's meetings. The oldest recording is probably the Apollo Quartet of Boston in 1917, and Rodeheaver and Virginia Asher recorded it in 1918. The hymn appears in nearly 200 hymnals. Critics have called it sentimental. Donald Hustad defended it and said a congregation should have it explained before singing it. Hymnary points out that the long visit in the refrain goes beyond John 20, which records a brief exchange, and argues the hymn is written from Mary's point of view. The Hymnology Archive says parts of the first and second stanzas also go beyond the Scripture text.
C. Austin Miles
1868 to 1946
Charles Austin Miles was born in 1868 at Lakehurst, New Jersey. He studied at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a pharmacist. In 1892 he left pharmacy to write gospel songs. He worked for the Hall-Mack Publishing Company for 37 years, first supplying songs and then serving as editor and manager. He wrote or composed more than 400 hymns. "In the Garden" is the best known, and he wrote both words and music in 1912. He married Bertha H. Haagen, and they had two sons. He died in Philadelphia in 1946.
C. Austin Miles
1868 to 1946
Charles Austin Miles was born in 1868 at Lakehurst, New Jersey. He studied at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a pharmacist. In 1892 he left pharmacy to write gospel songs. He worked for the Hall-Mack Publishing Company for 37 years, first supplying songs and then serving as editor and manager. He wrote or composed more than 400 hymns. "In the Garden" is the best known, and he wrote both words and music in 1912. He married Bertha H. Haagen, and they had two sons. He died in Philadelphia in 1946.
- Hymnology Archive, In the garden , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, I come to the garden alone , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in In the Garden
The Bible passages behind the words, with the verse of the hymn that draws on each.
- John 20:1 In verse 1 of the hymn
- John 20:15 In verse 15 of the hymn
- John 20:11-18
In the Garden videos
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In The Garden (hymn) Panoplyimaging, Congregation
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I Come to the Garden Alone - Gracias Choir Gracias Choir, Choir
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I Come to the Garden Alone - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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In The Garden - piano hymn instrumental Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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In The Garden - Singing Old Christian Hymns (Joel Jackson Worship) Joel Jackson Worship, Modern arrangement
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Print and project
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in A-flat.
Questions people ask
Who wrote In the Garden?
Charles Austin Miles wrote the words and the music in March 1912, and Hall-Mack first published them in a songbook.
What Bible story is In the Garden about?
Miles based it on John 20, where Mary Magdalene meets the risen Jesus at the garden tomb. The hymn is written from her point of view.
Why do some critics dislike In the Garden?
Critics have called it sentimental because the refrain describes a long visit that John 20 does not record. Donald Hustad defended the hymn and said a congregation should have it explained before singing it.
Is In the Garden in the public domain?
The words are public domain in the United States. Miles first published them in 1912, and he wrote the tune the same year.
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