The Way of the Cross Leads Home

By Jessie Brown Pounds

Lyrics

1. . I must needs go home by the way of the cross,
There's no other way but this;
I shall ne'er get sight of the gates of light,
If the way of the cross I miss.

Chorus:
The way of the cross leads home, (leads home,)
The way of the cross leads home; (leads home;)
It is sweet to know as I onward go,
The way of cross leads home.

2. . I must needs go on in the blood sprinkled way,
The path that the Savior trod,
If I ever climb to the heights sublime,
Where the soul is at home with God.

3. . Then I bid farewell to the way of the world,
To walk in it nevermore;
For the Lord says, "Come," and I seek my home
Where He waits at the open door.

Bible Reference

Matthew 16:24

About This Hymn

The Way of the Cross Leads Home is one of the most enduring hymns written by Jessie Brown Pounds, a prolific 19th-century American hymn writer known for her clear and heartfelt expressions of Christian truth.

Born on August 31, 1861, in Hiram, Ohio, Jessie was often in poor health as a child and received her early education at home. She began writing poetry at a young age and had her verses published in Cleveland newspapers and religious weeklies by the age of fifteen. An editor who compiled her early works suggested that many of her poems would make excellent church or Sunday School hymns. This led to a key collaboration with J. H. Fillmore, who invited her to contribute to a hymnal he was producing.

Jessie went on to write regularly for the Fillmore Brothers and later served as an editor at the Standard Publishing Company in Cincinnati. In 1896, she married Rev. John E. Pounds, pastor of the Central Christian Church in Indianapolis, and continued her ministry through writing.

“The Way of the Cross Leads Home” beautifully captures the Christian journey of discipleship—marked not by ease or comfort, but by walking in the footsteps of Christ, bearing His cross. The hymn emphasizes the spiritual truth that only through the path of self-denial and faith in Christ's atoning work can one find true and eternal rest. Its message is both humbling and hopeful, resonating deeply with believers across generations.