Verse 1
Idle boys and men are found
Standing on the devil’s ground,
He will find them work to do,
He will pay their wages too.

Verse 2
Are they not of wisdom void,
Those that saunter unemploy’d,
Young, or old, who fondly play
Their important time away?

Verse 3
What a bold and foolish lye,
When we hear a trifler cry,
“I no other business have!”
Has he not a soul to save?

Verse 4
Has he from his Lord above
No one talent to improve?
Let him go and muse on this,
Sloth is the worst wickedness.

Verse 5
Sloth is the accursed root,
Whence ten thousand evils shoot,
Every vice and every sin
Doth with idleness begin.

Verse 6
We by idleness expose
Our own souls to endless woes,
We, whenever loitering thus,
Tempt the devil to tempt us.

Verse 7
But suffice the season past
That our time away we cast,
Thoughtless and insensible,
Dancing on the brink of hell.

Verse 8
Let us now to Jesus turn,
For our mis-spent moments mourn,
Let us in his Spirit’s power
Promise to stand still no more.

Verse 9
Jesus, help; to thee we pray,
Take the cursed root away,
Idleness far off remove,
Let us thee and labour love;

Verse 10
All our time and vigour give,
Serve our Maker while we live,
Use for God the talents given,
Work on earth, and rest in heaven.