Lyrics
Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God's command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
All hail to Daniel's band!
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.
Many mighty men are lost,
Daring not to stand,
Who for God had been a host,
By joining Daniel's band.
Many giants, great and tall,
Stalking through the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel's band.
Hold the gospel banner high!
On to vict'ry grand!
Satan and his host defy,
And shout for Daniel's band.
Public domain hymn text (1873). Words and music by Philip P. Bliss.
The Story Behind the Hymn
Philip P. Bliss wrote 'Dare to Be a Daniel' in 1873, drawing its title figure from the Old Testament book of Daniel, whose refusal to stop praying openly to God, even after a royal decree forbade it, led to his famous night in the lions' den in Daniel 6.
Rather than retelling that specific story in detail, Bliss's hymn treats Daniel mainly as a symbol, someone who kept a 'purpose true' regardless of consequence, and builds the entire song around urging the singer to imitate that same willingness to stand alone if necessary.
The hymn was written for use in Sunday schools and youth meetings, and its short, chant-like chorus, repeating the command 'dare to be a Daniel' four times in quick succession, was designed to be memorable and rousing for children and young people specifically.
Its central challenge, daring to 'stand alone,' pushed directly against the pressure to conform, a message aimed less at private, personal piety than at the specific, social courage needed to hold a visible, public position when peers or authority figures disagreed.
Bliss composed the song during his active partnership with evangelist D. L. Moody, whose revival campaigns placed heavy emphasis on personal decision and public testimony, themes this hymn's call to 'make it known' reflects directly.
The phrase 'dare to be a Daniel' outlived the hymn itself to become a fairly common English idiom for standing on principle against pressure, used well outside explicitly religious contexts by people who may not know its origin in a nineteenth-century Sunday school song.
Bliss died in a train accident and fire in Ashtabula, Ohio, in December 1876, only a few years after writing this song, cutting short a songwriting career that, in just a handful of years, produced several hymns, this one included, that remained in continuous use for well over a century afterward.
