While the original hymn had eight verses, it is verses 1, 2, 4, and 7 that are generally heard in congregations. One such postcard was a colorful picture of soldiers going to battle with the following verse: “God be with you till we meet again keep love's banner floating o'er you, smite death's threatening wave before you God be with you till we meet again.” Long, long, may they sing it!”ĭuring the war, many postcards were printed with hymn lyrics to help soldiers in battle feel at ease. Rankin said: “It has had no sweeter recognition than that given it by its adoption by the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor.
The hymn became the official closing song for the Christian Endeavor Convention. While Rankin was responsible for writing the lyrics, William Tomer, who was the music director at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, composed the music. and said this about the hymn, “Written…as a Christian goodbye, it was called forth by no person or occasion, but was deliberately composed as a Christian hymn on basis of the etymology of “goodbye,” which is “God be with you.” He got the idea for the first stanza of the song when he saw the dictionary definition of "good-bye" was short for "God be with you." The song was written in 1882 when Rankin was 54 years old. Rankin was the minister for the First Congregational Church in Washington, D.C. That being said, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”, which was written by Jeremiah Rankin, was simply composed so his church choir could have something to sing when they parted each week. Many of the popular songs we know and love have a special story behind them.