The Lily Of The Valley Hymn Lyrics

I get a real thrill finding sheet music that other people assume is lost to church basements, and 'Consider the Lilies' is one I’ve tracked down a few times for different gigs. The first place I check is official or denominational music resources—many hymns and sacred songs are published in denominational hymnals or on official church music sites, and those often offer printable sheet music or links to the publisher. If it's in copyright, the publisher or church site will usually sell or permit downloads; for congregational use there’s often a licensing route (like congregation licensing services) that lets you print legally.

Beyond that I use large digital retailers: places like Sheet Music Plus, Musicnotes, and similar shops often carry hymn arrangements (SATB, piano/vocal, or simplified lead sheets). For older editions that might be public domain, Hymnary.org and Google Books can be goldmines—they host scanned hymnals and can point you to hymn texts and melodies. MuseScore’s community is another excellent source for user-created arrangements and MIDI previews; you can often download PDFs or MusicXML to tweak the key for your group. When I need a specific SATB arrangement I’ll also contact the music director of the nearest church or a local choir director—people love swapping parts and I’ve received clean photocopies that way. If you want a vintage physical copy, eBay and Etsy sometimes have used hymnals or photocopied choir folders.

If you’re planning a performance, check the arrangement’s copyright and get permission if necessary; if it’s for home or practice, user-uploaded scores are often fine but can vary in accuracy. Personally I prefer a reputable publisher’s edition for concert use because the harmonies and voicings are reliable, but for weekend singalongs a transposed MuseScore lead sheet has saved the day more than once. Happy hunting—there’s something special about seeing the music on paper before you sing it.

A single line from 'Consider the Lilies' kept nudging at me all week, and I found myself peeling it apart like a song that refuses to be background noise.

The lyrics do something gentle but radical: they reframe faith not as a set of doctrines to recite, but as a posture of attention. When the text invites us to look at lilies and birds, it's insisting that trust can be learned from ordinary creation — the way a flower opens without hoarding light, or a bird moves through the day without a ledger. To me that reveals faith as embodied trust. It's not merely intellectual assent; it's a daily practice of noticing provision and responding with less panic and more gratitude. There’s also a moral current under the beauty. The lilies are lavish without being wasteful, and that nudges toward living simply, resisting the compulsion to accumulate as if security were purchased by goods.

Beyond personal comfort, those lines press outward: faith that notices beauty is a faith that notices people. If you truly believe the world is cared for, you begin to care for your neighbor with the same relaxed confidence — you act, not from scarcity but from abundance. Singing 'Consider the Lilies' has a way of rewiring small decisions: how I spend time, what I buy, how I speak to strangers. It leaves me calmer and oddly braver.

The way the lyrics riff on 'consider the lilies' feels like a tender zoom-in on a single line from Matthew 6:28 and then lets that image do the heavy lifting. In my head the song takes the verse—'Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin'—and expands it into a whole weathered conversation about worry, worth, and what it means to be human under a sky that keeps turning.

I hear the lilies in the music as both an accusation and an invitation: an accusation against our frantic scaffolding of plans and anxieties, and an invitation to notice small beauty as evidence of a care that’s steadier than our fear. Musically, the arrangement often mirrors this: soft verses that examine the anxious heartbeat, then a chorus that lets the lilies bloom in a wash of strings or a clear vocal line. That contrast underscores the theology—providence isn't a lecture, it's a visible pattern in creation that quietly rebukes panic.

On a personal level, the lyrics land like a friend who pulls me aside and says, "Look up." They don't promise that life stops throwing hard things at you, but they do suggest a reorientation: trusting that beauty and provision are woven into the world in ways I can't always control. It leaves me calmer, a little more aware of small gifts, and oddly grateful for the reminder that some things are cared for even when I forget to breathe.

' and let me tell you, there are some great resources out there! One of the first places I’d recommend checking is music publishers like OCP (Oregon Catholic Press) or GIA Publications. They often have sheet music available for purchase, and you can find both traditional and contemporary arrangements of the hymn. If you’re looking for lyrics, sites like Genius are fantastic! You can usually find the lyrics there alongside some interesting tidbits about the song and its meaning. It really adds to my appreciation when I learn more about the context behind the music.

Also, if you prefer a more community-driven approach, searching on forums like Reddit or music-related Facebook groups can yield results. I’ve seen people willing to share their own arrangements, as well as direct you to official versions. Sometimes, someone even posts a performance video with the lyrics in the description, which is super helpful! Just keep your options open and don't hesitate to reach out to others who share your love for this beautiful hymn! It’s all about connecting with fellow fans and musicians!

Lastly, for those interested in choral versions, online platforms like NoteFlight or MuseScore can be beneficial. They have user-generated content, and it is incredible how many talented people share their work for others to enjoy! It makes everything feel more accessible, and often you'll find unique arrangements you wouldn't have considered before. You never know, you might even be inspired to try and create your version!

That little line — 'consider the lilies' — always pulls me back to Sunday mornings and dusty hymnals, and the question of whether those lyrics are public domain is one I’ve chased down more than once. The phrase itself is biblical, coming from Matthew/Luke, and if a piece uses the King James wording it’s absolutely public domain because the KJV has been free to use for centuries. But when someone writes a hymn or a song entitled 'Consider the Lilies' that’s a different story: the specific lyrics and musical setting are protected by copyright unless they’re old enough or explicitly released.

In the U.S., a practical benchmark I use is publication date: works published before 1928 were in the public domain as of 2024, so anything published that early is safe. For newer songs you have to look at the author’s death date (many countries use life+70 years) and whether the work was published with proper registration/renewal when that mattered. Even if the words are public domain, a particular arrangement, harmonization, or modern verse might still be copyrighted. Recordings are another kettle of fish — even if the composition is public domain, a modern recording of it is usually protected.

When I’m trying to be sure for use in a project, I’ll pull up Hymnary.org, the Library of Congress catalog, and the U.S. Copyright Office records, and if it’s for public performance or church use I check CCLI or similar services. Bottom line: the biblical phrase is free, but any modern hymn or song titled 'Consider the Lilies' might not be — dig into publication dates, composer/lyricist death dates, and specific arrangements before using it. I still get a warm, nostalgic rush whenever I sing those lines, copyright aside.