Lyrics:

1. High on the mountain top
A banner is unfurled.
Ye nations, now look up;
It waves to all the world.
In Deseret’s sweet, peaceful land,
On Zion’s mount behold it stand!

2. For God remembers still
His promise made of old
That he on Zion’s hill
Truth’s standard would unfold!
Her light should there attract the gaze
Of all the world in latter days.

3. His house shall there be reared,
His glory to display,
And people shall be heard
In distant lands to say:
We’ll now go up and serve the Lord,
Obey his truth, and learn his word.

4. For there we shall be taught
The law that will go forth,
With truth and wisdom fraught,
To govern all the earth.
Forever there his ways we’ll tread,
And save ourselves with all our dead.

Text: Joel H. Johnson, 1802-1882
Music: Ebenezer Beesley, 1840-1906

-History: (Source: Wikipedia)

Joel Hills Johnson (March 23, 1802 – September 24, 1883) was a Latter-day Saint (LDS) missionary and hymn writer, most famous as the author of “High on the Mountain Top” (hymn #5 in the 1985 LDS hymnbook, English edition). Johnson was also the founder of Enoch, Utah.

Johnson was a prolific poet and hymn writer. His journal contains 736 hymns.^[1] Collections of his writings were published in the pamphlet “Voice from the Mountains” in 1881 and a 344 page book of poems in 1882. His most sung hymn “High on the Mountain Top” was written on February 19, 1853.^[1] The only other hymn by Johnson in the current English edition of the LDS hymnbook is “The Glorious Gospel Light Has Shone” (hymn #283).

Ebenezer Beesley (14 December 1840 – 21 March 1906) was a Latter-day Saint hymn writer and composer. The music for twelve of the hymns in the 1985 English-language hymnal ofThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints written by him.

Beesley was born in Bicester, Oxfordshire, England.^[1][2] His parents joined the LDS Church when he was quite young and he was baptized a member of the church on September 22, 1849.

In 1859, Beesley emigrated to Utah Territory in the George Rowley Handcart Company with his family, including first wife Sarah Hancock Beesley.^[3] They first lived in Tooele, Utah, but later they moved to Salt Lake City. In the 19th Ward in Salt Lake City, Beesley served as both choir director and music director for Sunday School. He studied under George Careless.^[1]In 1863, Beesley joined the Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra, where he played the violin.^[4]

Beesley was a contributor to the Juvenile Instructor magazine. He also was one of the men appointed by John Taylor to oversee the publication of the Latter-day Saints’ Psalmody, which was the first LDS Church hymnbook to include music.^[1]

In 1880, Beesley became the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In September of that year, Beesley led the choir’s first excursion outside of Salt Lake City on a trip to American Fork, Utah where they performed with the local choir for a large group of citizens.^[5] Beesley served as the choir director until 1889.^[1]

After serving with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Beesley taught in Tooele and then for a time in Lehi, Utah. He then moved back to Salt Lake City where he died.^[1]

In the 1985 LDS Church hymnal the music for the following hymns was composed by Beesley:

• hymn #5 “High on a Mountain Top”
• hymn #16 “What Glorious Scenes Mine Eyes Behold”
• hymn #32 “The Happy Day At Last Has Come”
• hymn #76 “God of Our Fathers, We Come unto Thee”
• hymn #77 “Great Is the Lord”
• hymn #156 “Sing We Now at Parting”
• hymn #177 “Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love” Tune name=Hancock
• hymn #185 “Reverently and Meekly Now”
• hymn #232 “Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words”
• hymn #280 “Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning”
• hymn #282 “We Meet Again in Sabbath School”