The world famous hymn, ‘Abide with Me’, was written by Rev. Henry Francis Lyte probably shortly before his death in 1847 at the age of 54. In 1927 it was sung for the first time at the Wembley FA Cup Final when Cardiff City were victorious over Arsenal, and this coveted trophy went out of England for the first and last time!
The hymn is a dying man’s prayer and perhaps Henry used it on his death bed and concluded with this last verse:
Be Thou Thyself before my closing eyes,
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies,
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee,
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!