Father,--an orphan's prayer receive,
And listen to my plaintive cry:
Thou only canst my wants relieve,
Who art my Father in the sky.
I have no father here below,
No mother kind to wipe my tears,--
These tender names I never know,
To soothe my grief and quell my fears.
But Thou wilt be my parent,--nigh
In every hour of deep distress,
And listen to an orphan's sigh,
And soothe the anguish of my breast.
For Thou hast promised all I need,
More than a father's, mother's care:
Thou wilt the hungry orphan feed,
And always listen to my prayer.