Guide to the 144 Secular Hymns

These are the original Secular Hymns that have been downloaded and sung by countless community choirs and classrooms over the years. The old traditional melodies are quite famous, and their inspirational, egalitarian lyrics have found widespread acceptance throughout the English-speaking world.
There are 2 versions: the 328-page book is arranged for SATB choir, and the 180-page book is notated for a SOLO singer (just the soprano melody, but with larger chord symbols and often transposed to a lower key). Although both books are available for purchase on Amazon, each hymn from the choral version may be freely downloaded below. These inspirational songs have been put into the public domain, so even the downloaded scores may be used for public performances or for juried events.

Click on any title below to download its beautiful PDF score.  Below each title are listed the traditional hymns on which the Secular Hymn is based.

1. A Beauty Hides in Everyone 
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

2. A Long Long Way We’ve Come Today
“Eternal Father Strong to Save”
“The Solid Rock”
“Melita”​

3. A Peaceful Walk 
“At the Cross”​

4. Accommodating Others 
“In Heavenly Love Abiding”
“Penlan”​

5. Achieving Disagreement 
“O Jesus I Have Promised”​

6. All Need To Feel Significant 
“Abide With Me”​

7. All Praise to the Troubled 
“To God be the Glory”​

8. All the Seven Deadly Sins 
“Just a Closer Walk with Thee”​

9. Assuming There’s Peace
“Oh Worship the King”
“Lyons”​

10. “Bad” is Not a Name 
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”​

11. Because Violence Can’t End Violence *
“Marines Hymn”
“Gendarmes’ Duet”​

12. Borders, Boundaries, Walls and Fences 
(from the musical/opera “Candelescence“)​

13. Building a Door
“Faith of Our Fathers”​

14. Climbing Up The Ladder 
“Holy, Holy, Holy”​

15. Climbing Up The Mountain 
“Wye Valley”
“At The Name Of Jesus”​

16. Come Live With Us 
(from the musical/opera “Candelescence”)​

17. Communication is the Answer 
“Coronation”
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”​

18. Crank and Sprocket 
“Jesus Christ is Risen Today”​

19. Disassemble Every Gun *
“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
“Nettleton”​

20. Diversity in Thought *
“My Jesus I Love Thee I Know Thou Art Mine”​

21. Don’t Choose Sides 
“Salve Regina”
“Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above”​

22. Don’t Know How I Got Here 
“It is Well With My Soul”
“When Peace Like a River”​

23. Each Little Raindrop *
“Sutra Hymn”​

24. Education is our Destination *
“Warrenton”
“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”​

25. Every Space for Every Face 
“At the Lamb’s High Feast”
“Salzburg”​

26. Everybody Has Their Issues *
“There is a Balm in Gilead”​

27. Everyone Must Make a Living *
“Pleading Savior”
“Sing of Mary”​

28. Everything’s Changing 
“Still, Still With Thee”​

29. For Those Who Have Beliefs Bizarre *
“We Cannot Measure How You Heal”
“Ye Banks and Braes”​

30. For What I’ve Done *
“Come Holy Ghost”​

31. Go Further Farther 
“O God of Bethel By Whose Hand”
“Dundee”
“I To The Hills Will Lift My Eyes”
“God Moves in a Mysterious Way”​

32. Going Up, Going Up 
“Since Jesus Came Into My Heart”​

33. Grief Has Got To Take Its Time *
“Rock of Ages”​

34. Happy Be 
“Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”​

35. Harvesting Hunger 
“Lord of All Being”​

36. I am a Terrorist 
“Breathe On Me”​

37. I am the Captain of My Boat 
“Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”​

38. I Declare a Brand-New Me *
“Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean”

39. I Have a Garden in the Park *
“My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less”​

40. I Have a Puzzle of the World 
“How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds”​

41. I Once Was So Certain 
“Immaculate Mary”
“Lourdes Hymn”​

42. I Surrender *
“I Surrender All”​

43. I Think I Could Work in a Castle 
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”​

44. I Think I’m Right *
“Come to the Savior Make No Delay”​

45. I Will Look and I Will See 
“And Can It Be?”​

46. If We’re Not the Ones 
“Shall We Gather at the River”​

47. I’m Marching, Marching *
“Old Hundredth”
“Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow”​

48. In The End 
“Blessed Assurance”​

49. Informed People *
“Lo He Comes With Clouds Descending”
“Helmsley”​

50. Injustice to You is Injustice to Me 
“The Day Thou Gavest Lord Is Ended”​

51. Intelligence is a Bouquet
“O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go”​

52. It’s Great to Know Some Things by Heart
“Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”
“Repton”​

53. I’ve Never Known a Sinner *
“O For a Thousand Tongues”​

54. Journey Forward
“God Be With You Till We Meet Again”​

55. Just Because *
“He Who Would Valiant Be”​

56. Land of Gray *
“Alleluia! Sing to Jesus”
“Our Great Savior”
“Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens”
“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”
“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”​

57. Let’s Make a Right
“Come Thou Almighty King”​

58. Let’s Ride In Our Time Machines
“In the Garden”​

59. Let’s Start a Big Commotion *
“I Vow to Thee My Country”​

60. Let’s Stop Making Weapons
“His Eye is on the Sparrow”​

61. Let’s Try Something Different
“Tell Me the Old Old Story”​

62. Long Road
“Alpha and Omega”
“Meine Hoffnung Stehet Feste”
“All My Hope On God is Founded”
“Day of Judgment! Day of Wonders!”​

63. Make Just One Brand-New Friend *
“How Firm a Foundation”​

64. May We Make Moments of Peace
“Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun”​

65. No Cheers for David
“O Perfect Love”​

66. No Need To Sing The Same Notes
“We Plough the Fields and Scatter”​

67. Nonviolence May Take a Long Time *
“Redeemed”​

68. Nonviolence Must Be Taught
“All in the April Evening”​

69. Nothing’s Heavy with Lots of Hands *
“Take My Life and Let It Be”​

70. Oh Child Do Not Despair *
“St. Thomas”
“Oh Bless the Lord, My Soul!”
“I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord”
“Come We That Love the Lord”​

71. Ojalá *
“Holy God We Praise Thy Name”​

72. Onward, Upward
“Onward Christian Soldiers”​

73. Open Open Up the Window
“Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken”​

74. Our Garden Full of Flowers 
“O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded”​

75. Pain Can Cause
“Have Thine Own Way, Lord”​

76. Parents Gone
“Wondrous Love”
“What Wondrous Love is This”​

77. Past Performance is No Guarantee
“Lead Us Heavenly Father Lead Us”​

78. Peace Is Not What I Looked For
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”​

79. Peace Like a River
“Peace Like a River”​

80. People are More
“Jesus Lover Of My Soul”
“Aberystwyth”​

81. People We Need To Meet *
“Fairest Lord Jesus”
“Beautiful Savior”​

82. People Will Change
“Praise to the Lord”
“Lobe Den Herren”​

83. Relieving Suffering
“I Need Thee Ev’ry Hour”​

84. Rise and Shine *
“Holy Manna”
“Brethren, We Have Met To Worship”​

85. Seen, Heard and Understood *
“Nearer My God To Thee”​

86. Skating, Skating
“Westminster Abbey”
“Christ is Made the Sure Foundation”​

87. So Many Ways
“Praise to the Holiest in the Height”
“Billing”​

88. Some Are Young, Some Old
“We Have an Anchor”
“Will Your Anchor Hold”​

89. Someday When Guns Are Gone
“Blest Be The Tie That Binds”​

90. Someone Should *
“Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah”​

91. Spent Our Treasure
“Were You There?”​

92. Standing At Bat
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”​

93. Step by Step *
“Jesus Loves Me This I Know”​

94. Storms Will Come
“St. Helen”
“Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor”​

95. Striving To Be
“Fight the Good Fight”​

96. Swapping Shoes *
“For the Beauty of the Earth”
“Dix”
“Praise to God, Immortal Praise”​

97. Tall Oaks From Little Acorns Grow *
“The King of Love My Shepherd Is”​

98. The Greatest Walk
“Jerusalem”
“And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time”​

99. The Many Truths
“Be Still My Soul”
“Finlandia (Sibelius)”
“We Rest on Thee”​

100. The Only Path to Peace is Peace 
“Our God Our Help In Ages Past”​

101. Them Over There
“From All That Dwell Below the Skies”​

102. There Are Times
“Jesus Paid It All”​

103. There is a Game
“Hark! Tis the Shepher’s Voice I Hear”
“Bring Them In”​

104. There is a Rule of Thumb 
“Diademata”
“Crown Him With Many Crowns”
“Soldiers of Christ, Arise”
“Make Me a Captive, Lord”​

105. There is an Empty Box 
“The Church’s One Foundation”​

106. There is Something Wrong
“The Old Rugged Cross”​

107. There’s a Better Way *
“Blessed Be the Name”
“All Praise To Him Who Reigns Above”​

108. There’s a Road Between Our Lands
“Royal Oak”
“All Things Bright and Beautiful”​

109. There’s Claim Number One *
“Revive Us Again”​

110. There’s More Than One Way
“Ye Servants of God”
“Hanover”​

111. Things Are The Way They Are 
“Now Thank We All Our God”​

112. This Day, This Day
“For All the Saints”
“Sine Nomine”​

113. Tick-Tock
“Regent Square”
“Angels From the Realms of Glory”
“Christ is Made the Sure Foundation”
“Lo He Comes With Clouds Descending”​

114. Tis a Gift *
“Simple Gifts”​

115. To Find a Place
“Lift High the Cross”​

116. To Live Our Lives Addiction-Free
“Deus Tuorum Militum”
“O Love, How Deep”
“Bless Thou the Gifts”
“The Lord is King, Lift Up Thy Voice”
“Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New”
“What Thanks and Praise to Thee We Owe”​

117. To Make the World a Better Place
“There is a Green Hill Far Away”
“Horsley”
“Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned”​

118. To Soldiers Lost
“I Bind Unto Myself Today”
“St. Patrick’s Breastplate”​

119. To Those Who Came Before
“Come Down O Love Divine”
“Down Ampney”​

120. Today Is My Day
“Trust and Obey”​

121. Today’s the Day
“Rejoice, The Lord Is King”
“Darwall’s 148th”
“Join All The Glorious Names”​​

122. Together for So Long *
“Lenox”
“Arise, My Soul, Arise!”
“The Jubilee (Blow Ye Trumpet, Blow)”​

123. Towards a World That Has No Guns
“Joyful, Joyful (Beethoven’s Ode to Joy)”​

124. Trusting You, Trusting Me
“Going Home”
Largo from Dvorak’s “New World Symphony”​

125. Ultimately We May Not Have Free Will
“Noel Nouvelet”​

126. Unconscious Bias
“Ebenezer”
“Come O Spirit, Dwell Among Us”
“Thy Strong Word Did Cleave the Darkness”
“Ton-y-Botel”
“O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus”
“Singing Songs of Expectation”
“Once To Every Man and Nation”​

127. Unless There’s No-One Watching *
“How Can I Keep From Singing?”​

128. Wake, Awake
“Wachet Auf”
“Wake, Awake, For Night Is Flying”​

129. Walking in Someone’s Shoes
“O God of Loveliness”​​

130. We Are People, Plastic People
“Angel Voices Ever Singing”​

131. We Are Searching
“I Will Sing the Wondrous Story”​

132. We Can Be Tolerant *
“Be Thou My Vision”​

133. We Can Get Things To Happen
“Let Us Break Bread Together”​

134. We Mean “Will You Love Me?” *
“The Solid Rock”​

135. We’re Not Alone
“I Cannot Tell”
“Londonderry Air”
“Danny Boy”​

136. We’re Not At Our Best *
“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”​

137. We’re Parents of a Soldier *
“Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory”​

138. What Are We Doing?
“Thine Be The Glory”​

139. When Feeling Lost
“I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”
“O Sing a Song of Bethlehem”
“Kingsfold”​

140. When I Am Down *
“Down to the River to Pray”
“Come Let Us All Go Down”​

141. When Playing Cards
“How Great Thou Art”​

142. Who’s My Neighbor? *
“The Strife is O’er”​

143. Why Does This Phrase Have Five Measures?
“Lauda Anima”
“Praise My Soul the King of Heaven”​

144. You Took the One Road *
“Loch Lomond”​

For those interested in solfege, the song titles followed by an asterisk (*) happen to be purely diatonic. All 4 voices stay within the 7-note scale. This allows for easy singing with solfege syllables (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do) without the need to use altered syllables (such as “Di”, “Ra”, or “Ri”).

The Secular Hymnal was created to give people outside the church walls the same chance to experience hymn-singing that those within the walls have long enjoyed. ​

These 144 hymns contain the same famous melodies that have been sung for generations.  Although the music is the same, the words have been carefully changed so that public schools and the great diversity of everyday people will feel welcome to participate.