George Jarvis Lyrics

Tanner Family Line 

Here is a gem from the Nellie McArthur Gubler Collection at BYU Special Collections. [1] This was a double-sided sheet, with a poem on each side. [2] Evidently this was copied by one of George Jarvis's grandchildren. The poem doesn't always scan, but it does tell us more about the family's love for poetry and music. 

Grandfather Jarvis' Song. 

God Plans It All.
1st Life is not always pleasant,
It is not always pain,
It is not always sunshine,
It is not always rain. 

2. The cup must have its bitters, [3]
Its portion too of sweets,
For thornes [sic] as well as roses
Are waiting for feet.
For God plans it all,
God plans it all. 

3. For God in mercy has portioned,
The cup that we have drawn
He knows how much to send us
Of sunshine and of storm, [4]
He fits us for each burden
That we may have to bare [sic],
The strong must take the greater
The weak the lighter share,
For God plans it all,
God plans it all. 

Notes. 

[1] Nellie McArthur Gubler Collection, BYU Harold B. Lee Library, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, MSS 7551, Box 13, Folder 9. 

[2] I did not get a copy of the other poem. 

[3] Bitters is an ingredient in certain alcoholic drinks. George Jarvis probably would have been most familiar with the British Navy's use of bitters in pink gin. 

[4] Here are a few thoughts on the topic by C.S. Lewis. (The Problem of Pain.)