This Is My Father's World Maltbie D. Babcock, 1901
3 verses, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. This is my Father’s world,
And to my list’ning ears,
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world,
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas—
His hand the wonders wrought.
Verse 2. This is my Father’s world,
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world,
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.
Verse 3. This is my Father’s world,
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world,
The battle is not done,
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and heaven be one.
Words copied from New Baptist Hymnal (1926). They were published in 1901, 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 This Is My Father’s World
Maltbie D. Babcock, a Presbyterian minister, wrote the poem behind This Is My Father's World. He was pastor in Lockport, New York, before he served Brown Memorial Church in Baltimore and then Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. In Lockport he walked each morning to a hill north of town with a view of Lake Ontario. Kenneth Osbeck reports that he told people he was going out to see his Father's world. The poem ran to sixteen four-line stanzas. Babcock died in Naples, Italy, on May 18, 1901, after a trip to the Holy Land. His sermons and poems appeared that year in Thoughts for Every-Day Living. Discipleship Ministries says he probably wrote the poem earlier. Franklin L. Sheppard, a friend of Babcock and an elder in a Baltimore church, adapted an English folk melody and fitted three stanzas of the poem to it. The tune is TERRA BEATA, and the pairing first appeared in 1915 in Alleluia, a Presbyterian church school hymnal. Discipleship Ministries spells his name Shepherd. Babcock's granddaughter, Mary Babcock Crawford, wrote a new second stanza in 1972, and some hymnals print it. Her stanza is under copyright, and Babcock's own words are not. Hymnary lists Psalm 24 and Psalm 104 among its scripture references.
Maltbie D. Babcock
1858-08-03 to 1901-05-18
Maltbie Davenport Babcock was born in Syracuse, New York, on August 3, 1858. He studied at Syracuse University and Auburn Theological Seminary and became a Presbyterian minister. He served in Lockport, New York, then at Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, then at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City, where he followed Henry van Dyke. He was also an athlete and an amateur musician. He died in Naples, Italy, on May 18, 1901, after a trip to the Holy Land. His sermons and poems appeared after his death in Thoughts for Every-Day Living (1901).
Franklin L. Sheppard
1852 to 1930
Franklin L. Sheppard came from a Philadelphia family and worked in the family foundry business in Baltimore from 1875. He was an organist, a church elder, and music director at Second Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. He served as president of the Presbyterian Board of Publications and sat on the committee that prepared the 1911 Presbyterian Hymnal. He was a friend of Maltbie Babcock. He adapted an English folk melody as TERRA BEATA for Babcock's words and published it in Alleluia (1915), a church school hymnal he edited. Discipleship Ministries spells his name Shepherd.
- Hymnary.org, hymn This Is My Father's World (Psalter Hymnal 436) , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, text This Is My Father's World , read 2026-10-16
- History of Hymns: This Is My Father's World (Discipleship Ministries) , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, tune TERRA BEATA , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in This Is My Father’s World
The Bible passages behind the words, with the verse of the hymn that draws on each.
- Psalm 24:1 In verse 1 of the hymn
- Psalm 19:1-6
- Psalm 104
- Acts 4:24 In verse 24 of the hymn
This Is My Father’s World videos
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This Is My Father's World (Hymn 31) | Grace Community Church Congregation & Orchestra Hymns of Grace, Congregation
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This Is My Father's World | The Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Choir
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This Is My Father's World - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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This is My Father's World - piano instrumental hymn Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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This Is My Fathers World Lifeway Worship, Modern arrangement
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This Is My Father's World - Norton Hall Band Southern Seminary, Modern arrangement
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Print and project
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in E♭ or D.
Questions people ask
What is the history of This Is My Father's World?
Maltbie Babcock wrote the poem, which was published after his death in 1901. Franklin Sheppard set three stanzas to an English folk tune, and the pairing first appeared in 1915.
Who wrote This Is My Father's World?
Maltbie Babcock wrote the words, and Franklin Sheppard adapted the tune TERRA BEATA. Babcock's granddaughter Mary Babcock Crawford added a stanza in 1972.
What key is This Is My Father's World in?
Hymnary lists E-flat major as the most common key. The 1991 Baptist Hymnal prints it in E-flat and the 2008 Baptist Hymnal prints it in D.
What Bible passages are behind This Is My Father's World?
Hymnary lists Genesis 1, Psalm 24 and Psalm 104, with Acts 4:24 in the Psalter Hymnal notes. Psalm 24:1 is cited most often.
Is This Is My Father's World in the public domain?
Babcock's words are public domain in the United States, first published in 1901. The tune arrangement dates from 1915. Mary Babcock Crawford's second stanza was written in 1972 and is under copyright, so check which stanzas a hymnal prints.
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