Long ago, people imagined that the planets in their orbits were playing a symphony of the cosmos, a harmony of the spheres. This is the ancient vision that Maltbie Babcock evoked when he wrote, “and round me rings the music of the spheres.” Though this vision has been replaced by modern science, we now know that the heavenly bodies do indeed emit sounds. And even more wondrous, the ocean is also producing noises in its deepest and darkest regions - sounds that remain mysterious to us.

The whole universe is singing a song of its origin, telling us something about the One who originated it. In the third stanza, the author acknowledges that the world is not as it should be. Creation is marred and wounded. Yet, it also still belongs to God. We are therefore invited to listen carefully to the voice of God in His world - from the heights of space to the depths of the sea - and see how He heals it, listening for our own role in caring for Creation.

While a pastor in Lockport, New York, Babcock liked to hike in an area called "the escarpment," an ancient upthrust ledge near Lockport. It has a marvelous view of farms, orchards, and Lake Ontario, about 15 miles distant. It is said those walks in the woods inspired these lyrics. The title recalls an expression Babcock used when starting a walk: "I'm going out to see my Father's world."