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Original Lyrics by John Newton, 1772
Additional Lyrics and Music by John P. Rees, Edwin Othello Excell and Chris Tomlin
Performed by Chris Tomlin
© 2006, EMI Christian Music Group
Youtube video uploaded by emimusic
Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
My chains are gone,
I’ve been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood His mercy rains,
Unending love, Amazing grace.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
[2x]
My chains are gone,
I’ve been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood His mercy rains,
Unending love, Amazing grace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow.
The sun forbear to shine.
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine.
Will be forever mine.
You are forever mine.
Amazing Grace (original lyrics)
© Public Domain
Amazing Grace (How sweet the sound)
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!
Through many dangers, toils and snare,
I have already come;
Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall profess, within the vail,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be for ever mine.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.
What are some fears you have?
What would it take to relieve those fears?
What would God’s grace look like in those situations?
The melody most often used for this hymn was not original (nor was Newton a composer). As with other hymns of this period, the words were sung to a number of tunes before and after they first became linked to the now familiar variant of the tune “New Britain” in William Walker’s shape-note tunebook Southern Harmony, 1835. There are several tunes to which these words have been sung. “New Britain” first appears in a shape-note hymnal from 1829 called Columbian Harmony.
In her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe includes an extra, final verse which may have been taken from another hymn. The additional verse is part of most hymnals today.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.
Whereas the original lyrics were penned by John Newton in 1772 (stanzas 1-6), this additional verse (stanza 7) was written in the nineteenth century, and is credited by some to John P. Rees (1828-1900). This verse became firmly established as part of the hymn by its addition in popular hymnbooks of the early twentieth century.
John Newton described himself as a “wretch” in need of grace. Though his mother taught him to pray, she died when he was 7 and his heart hardened against God. He became a wild, young man who mocked Christianity and drowned himself in drink.
At 23, while a crewman on a slave ship, Newton was jolted awake by a violent storm—so terrifying that he cried out to the Lord. The John Newton who arrived safely in England was a repentant man. For the rest of his life he would refer to March 10, 1748, as the day of his conversion.
Unfortunately, Newton’s conversion did not change his views of slavery for many years. He became the captain of his own slave ship. In time, under the influence of famed abolitionist William Wilberforce and Anglican priests John Wesley and George Whitefield, he had another spiritual awakening. In 1760 he became an ordained minister and a powerful foe of slavery.
He eventually settled in the Olney parish where he and his friend William Cowper spent four days a week collaborating on hymns for their prayer meetings. On Jan. 1, 1773, the hymn was “Amazing Grace,” which accompanied a text on David’s response to God’s blessings (1 Chron. 17:16-17). The original title for the song was “Faith’s Review and Expectation.”
Two earlier forms of the tune were published in the 19th century, but recent scholarship credits William Walker’s Southern Harmony (1835) with the marriage of Newton’s text to an old plantation melody. Much of the hymn’s early popularity was the result of the songbook, which sold 800,000 copies.
The redeemed sinner who wrote, “I was lost but now I’m found … was blind but now I see” was literally blind when he died—but he had seen clearly the wonder of God’s grace.
Chris Tomlin added the newer chorus to the song, and had this to say about his contribution:
“I started doing some research on “Amazing Grace,” and I was blown away that the last verse (“When we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun“) was written about 100 years later. The original verse by John Newton was “The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,” this incredible verse that I’d never seen in a hymn book. I started thinking about where John Newton came from, the slave ships, and what God had done in his life. We’re all made slaves to sin in our life, but God has set us free. He has ransomed us from our slavery. I just wanted to add this idea that I hope brings freshness to the heart of the song.”
This updated version of the song is also found on the Amazing Grace motion picture soundtrack.