A car of fire is on the air

"A car of fire is on the air" is a distinctive nineteenth-century Christian hymn focused on the themes of death, burial, and the transition of the soul. It was written by William Winstanley Hull, an English barrister, liturgical reformer, and hymn writer who took an active part in the religious movements of his era.

The hymn was originally contributed to Hull's own compilation, Collection of Hymns for General Use, which was first published in 1833 and became commonly known as A Churchman's Hymns. In this collection, the lyric appeared as entry number 2, structured in three stanzas of six lines each.

While many of Hull's hymns did not see wide adoption in contemporary collections, this particular piece was revived three decades later. In 1863, the eminent classical scholar and hymnist Dr. Benjamin Hall Kennedy reprinted the hymn without alteration as entry number 1176 in his influential collection, Hymnologia Christiana. The hymn remains an evocative and rare example of early nineteenth-century Anglican verse touching on mortality.