This Is My Father's World

"This is My Father's World" is a Christian hymn written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, a minister from the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York, and published posthumously in 1901.

Shortly after his death Katherine published a compilation of Babcock's writings entitled Thoughts for Every-Day Living that contained the poem "My Father's World".

An example (from the United Methodist Hymnal) uses stanzas 2-5, 14, and 16: This is my Father's world, And to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres.

[6] The poem refers to several scriptures, including Jacob's exclamation "the Lord is in this place" from Genesis 28:16 and the rockfall, earthquake, and still small voice of 1 Kings 19:11–12, and the final stanza concludes by paraphrasing Psalm 96:10–11.

The Orange County Supertones include the final verse in a song also titled, "This Is My Father's World" on their album Loud and Clear.

Howard Shore quoted the first seven notes of the hymn verbatim in his Shire theme from his Music of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Instrumental digital recording by Robin S. Taylor, 2024.
Maltbie D. Babcock