By the Waters of Babylon

By the waters of Babylon

We sit down and weep,

Far from the pleasant land

Where our fathers sleep;

Far from our Holy Place

From which the Glory is gone;

We sit in dust and weep

By the waters of Babylon.

By the waters of Babylon

The willow trees grow rank:

We hang our harps thereon

Silent upon the bank.

Before us the days are dark,

And dark the days that are gone;

We grope in the very dark

By the waters of Babylon.

By the waters of Babylon

We thirst for Jordan yet,

We pine for Jerusalem

Whereon our hearts are set:

Our priests defiled and slain,

Our princes ashamed and gone,

Oh how should we forget

By the waters of Babylon?

By the waters of Babylon

Tho' the wicked grind the just,

Our seed shall yet strike root

And shall shoot up from the dust:

The captive shall lead captive,

The slave rise up and begone,

And thou too shalt sit in dust

O daughter of Babylon.