I cannot tell why He, whom angels worship
I cannot tell why He, whom angels worship. William Young Fullerton* (1857-1932).
This four-stanza hymn was written to be sung to LONDONDERRY AIR, the plangent tune from Fullerton’s native Northern Ireland. Probably the first use of the tune with a hymn was in SofP (1925), when it was set to Frank Fletcher*’s ‘O Son of Man, our hero strong and tender’*.
The date of composition of the words is uncertain, but must be before 1930, when they were printed in a Baptist supplement for young people, Hymns for Today. It may have been printed privately before this. It appeared shortly afterwards in the revised edition of BCH (1933) and in MHB. The 8-line stanzas are constructed to allow line 5, ‘But...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "I cannot tell why He, whom angels worship."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 16 Jul. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/i/i-cannot-tell-why-he,-whom-angels-worship>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "I cannot tell why He, whom angels worship."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed July 16, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/i/i-cannot-tell-why-he,-whom-angels-worship.