Poems - There Is Always Something Over

Last updated on December 12, 2023

This is one of Miss Barber’s most beloved poems. It is commonly known by its first line “There Is Always Something Over” but she published it with the title “My Cup Runneth Over.” This poem appeared in the well-known devotional Streams in the Desert in the entry for May 27th.

One source] states this was written when Sister Barber was at her last dollar.

“My Cup Runneth Over”

Psalm 23

Verse 1
There is always something over,
  When we taste our gracious Lord;
Every cup He fills o’erfloweth,
  Rich supply He doth afford.
Nothing narrow, nothing stinted,
  Ever issued from His store;
To His own He gives full measure,
  Running over, evermore,
To His own He gives full measure,
  Running over, evermore.

Verse 2
There is always something over,
  When we, from the Father’s hand,
Take our portion with thanksgiving,
  Praising for the things He planned.
Satisfaction, full and deepening,
  All our need He doth supply,
When the heart has tasted Jesus
  Its desires to satisfy,
When the heart has tasted Jesus
  Its desires to satisfy.

Verse 3
There is always something over,
  When we share in all His love;
Unplumbed depths still lie beneath us,
  Unscaled heights rise far above.
Human lips can never utter
  All His wondrous tenderness.
We can only praise and wonder
  And His Name forever bless,
We can only praise and wonder
  And His Name forever bless.

Meter: 8.7.8.7.D
Tune: ALL THE WAY
Earliest Known Publication: 1925 Streams in the Desert for May 27th by Mrs. Lettie Cowman Hymnals: