From A Prairie Home Companion, November 8, 1997
Found in an online exchange.
. . . . . . . . .
Soft as the voice of an angel
Breathing a message unheard,
Hope with its gentle persuasion
Whispers her comforting word.
Fixes a comforting hotdish
Served from an old china bowl,
Noodles and tuna and mushroom soup.
Tuna, the food of my soul.
Refrain:
Whispering tuna, how gentle thy voice
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.
Then when the night is upon us,
And the sad toll of the bell,
What is that light in the kitchen?
What is that heavenly smell?
(THEY BOTH SING REFRAIN)
Whispering tuna, how gentle thy voice,
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.
-----THE ORIGINAL-----
Whispering Hope
Words and music by Septimus Winner,
under the pseudonym Alice Hawthorne, 1868
Soft as the voice of an angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuasion
Whispers her comforting word:
Wait till the darkness is over,
Wait till the tempest is done,
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,
After the shower is gone.
Refrain:
Whispering hope, oh how welcome thy voice,
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.
If, in the dusk of the twilight,
Dim be the region afar,
Will not the deepening darkness
Brighten the glimmering star?
Then when the night is upon us,
Why should the heart sink away?
When the dark midnight is over,
Watch for the breaking of day.
(Refrain)
Hope, as an anchor so steadfast,
Rends the dark veil for the soul,
Whither the Master has entered,
Robbing the grave of its goal.
Come then, O come, glad fruition,
Come to my sad weary heart;
Come, O Thou blest hope of glory,
Never, O never depart.
(Refrain)
