Now the Day Is Over
An evening prayer to Jesus for rest, safety through the night, and a new morning.
The words are public domain. We print a hymn only after checking it word for word against a dated old printing, and this one hasn’t been checked yet. Hymnary has it now.
“Now the Day Is Over” at HymnaryAbout this hymn
This evening hymn asks Jesus to give rest to the weary, to comfort the sick and those who cannot sleep, to guard sailors and children through the night, and to wake us clean and new in the morning.
It echoes Psalm 4:8, "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." The hymn speaks that same trust directly to Jesus.
It is sung at evening services at any time of year. Sabine Baring-Gould, an English priest, wrote it in 1865.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Sabine Baring-Gould, 1865 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Tune | MERRIAL · Joseph Barnby, 1868 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against hymnary.org text, tune and person pages (attribution and rights only). The words are not transcribed here yet.
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.