Narrated: When the great plants of our cities Have turned out their last finished work When our merchants have sold their last yard of silk And dismissed their last tired clerk When our banks have raked in their last dollar And have paid the dividends When the Judge of earth says, "closed for the night" And asks for a balance -- what then? When the choir has sung its last anthem And the preacher has made his last prayer When the people have heard their last sermon And the sound has died on the air When the Bible lies closed on the altar And the pews are all empty of men And each one stands facing his record And the great book is open -- what then?
When the actors have played their last drama And the mimic has made his last fun When the film has flashed its last picture And the billboard has displayed its last run When the crowd seeking pleasure has vanished And gone out in the darkness again And all of our lives flash before us And we stand before Him -- what then? When the bugle's call sinks into silence And the long marching column stands still When the captain repeats his last orders And they've captured the last fort and hill And the flag has been hauled from the masthead And the wounded afield checked in And a world that has rejected its Saviour Is asked for a reason -- what then?