WHERE COULD I GO BUT TO THE LORD
Living below in this old sinful world
Hardly a comfort can afford
Striving alone to face temptation so Now won’t you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord.
Where could I go..oh, where could I go
Seeking the refuge for my soul.
Needing a friend to save me in the end
Won’t you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord.
Life here is grand with friends I love so dear.
Comfort I get from God’s own word.
Yet when I face that chilling hand of death
Won’t you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord?
Where could I go..oh, where could I go
Seeking the refuge for my soul
Needing a friend to save me in the end
Won’t you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord!
This song was written in 1940 by songwriter, James B Coats from Jones County,Mississippi. The inspiration for the song came some years earlier when Mr. Coats was at the bedside of one of his dying neighbors, an African- American gentleman named Joe Keyes.
Being a preacher, Mr Coats had asked Mr. Keyes if he knew where he would spend eternity when he died. Mr. Keyes simply replied, “Where could I go but to the Lord?” Some years later, as he was away from home teaching a singing school, Mr. Coates finally included these words in a gospel song. He died in 1961.
