Remembering Frank Lebby Stanton: A Lyricist Who Plucked Our Heartstrings

January 7, 1927

Today is the anniversary of the death of the American lyricist and columnist for the Atlanta Constitution, Frank Lebby Stanton.

A son of the South, Frank was influenced by hymn writers like Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley.

Extraordinarily popular during his lifetime, Frank was charming and straightforward, and his verses evoked a feeling of nostalgia and sentiment.

For instance, Frank wrote the words for the Tin Pan Alley hit song “Mighty Like a Rose.”

Among Frank’s many famous verses is this one:

So many creeds like the weeds in the sod – 

so many temples, and only one God.

Frank’s most famous four-lined verse is also a favorite of gardeners - and it is inscribed on his Atlanta tombstone:

This world we're a'livin' in

Is mighty hard to beat.

You get a thorn with every rose.

But ain't the roses sweet?