"Looking Out a Prison Window" Original Hymn (John in Prison, Hope)
"Looking Out a Prison Window" Original Hymn (John in Prison, Hope)
DIGITAL SHEET MUSIC DOWNLOAD
This hymn, originally written for the What do you fear? bundle for Advent 2025, is created for use in congregational worship and other ministry contexts. We’ve set fresh words of faith to a well-loved public domain hymn tune for maximum singability.
License for congregational use is included in the purchase—no reporting to CCLI or other licensing agencies is required. To inquire about other uses, such as recording or publishing, please contact us.
Looking Out a Prison Window
Inspired by Matthew 11:1-12, Isaiah 43:19-21
Tune: IRBY 8.7.8.7.7.7 (“Once in Royal David’s City”)
Text: Anna Strickland, 2025
Music: Henry Gauntlett, 1849
DOWNLOAD includes:
PDF sheet music with four-part harmony
JPG image of the lyrics and melody for use in bulletins
Lyrics to copy and paste for bulletins and screens
Lyrics:
Looking out a prison window
who can see the flowers bloom?
Hope dissolves like dreams at daybreak
leaving us an empty room
Still beyond what we can see
God is always planting seeds
All the things that keep us captive
shrink our optimistic faith
We must practice hope on purpose
even when our spirits break
‘Til at last our freedom comes
And we finally see the sun
To our siblings still imprisoned
behind bars of steel or fear
Bring the message from our Savior:
hope is real and dawning near
Tell the gospel all around:
New life springs up from the ground
We are called to liberation
to be freed and to set free
Breaking chains of worldly powers
who would claim our liberty
Body, spirit, mind and heart
Liberate each captive part
credit info:
Hymn text by Rev. Anna Strickland | A Sanctified Art, LLC | sanctifiedart.org
