1 

   A little bird I am,

   Shut from the fields of air,

And in my cage I sit and sing

   To Him who placed me there;

Well pleased a prisoner to be,

Because, my God, it pleaseth Thee.

 2 

   Nought have I else to do,

   I sing the whole day long;

And He whom most I love to please

   Doth listen to my song;

He caught and bound my wandering wing;

But still He bends to hear me sing.

 3 

   Thou hast an ear to hear

   A heart to love and bless;

And though my notes were e'er so rude,

   Thou wouldst not hear the less;

Because Thou knowest as they fall,

That love, sweet love, inspires them all.

 4 

   My cage confines me round;

   Abroad I cannot fly;

But though my wing is closely bound,

   My heart's at liberty;

For prison walls cannot control

The flight, the freedom of the soul.

 5 

   O it is good to soar

   These bolts and bars above!

To Him whose purpose I adore,

   Whose providence I love;

And in Thy mighty will to find

The joy, the freedom of the mind.