Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Encyclopedia
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing is a Christian
hymn
written by the 18th century pastor
and hymnist Robert Robinson
. Robert Robinson penned the words at age 22 in the year 1757. The words of the hymn are in the public domain
.
In the USA, the hymn is usually set to an American folk tune known as Nettleton, composed by printer John Wyeth, or possibly by Asahel Nettleton
. In the UK, the hymn is also often set to the tune Normandy by C Bost. The Nettleton tune is used extensively in partial or full quotation by the American composer Charles Ives
, in such works as the First String Quartet
and the piano quintet and song "The Innate."
The song has gained a degree of popularity in recent years, in large part due to an arrangement by Mormon
(member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) composer Mack Wilberg
, which appears at the end of the BYU Choirs
concert "A Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns," recorded in April 1994, which is rebroadcast annually by hundreds of PBS affiliates. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
and the Orchestra at Temple Square
perform the Wilberg's arrangement of this hymn in their concerts, and occasionally on their weekly broadcast Music and the Spoken Word
. It is featured on two of their albums, The Sound of Glory, and America's Choir and is the title song on the album "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" released in March 2009.
It has also been covered by David Crowder Band
on their 1999 album All I Can Say
, and on their live recording Our Love is Loud
. Christian rock band Jars of Clay
has also covered the song as well as veteran Christian artist Scott Wesley Brown (www.scottwesleybrown.com). Nashville singer Matthew Smith has also recorded a popular version on his album All I Owe. Sufjan Stevens
recorded a version for his Hark! Songs for Christmas album, which reached 122 in the US charts and is featured in the closing minutes of the season four premiere episode of Friday Night Lights
. Gateway Worship
performed the song on their album "Living for You" and added a chorus to the song calling it "Come Thou Fount Come Thou King". It also appears on Phil Wickham
's album 'sing-a-long'. This song is also sung by Clark Davis in the film Love Comes Softly
based on the book of the same title by Janette Oke and is a recurring background music in the film.
1. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
2. Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I'll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer
;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
3. Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.
4. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
5. O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothèd then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
It has been revised and now appears in modern hymnals as the following:
1. Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.
2. Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
The following version was adapted by E. Margaret Clarkson in 1973.:
1. Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise His Name I'm fixed upon it
Name of God's redeeming love.
2. Hither to thy love has blessed me
Thou has brought me to this place
And I know thy hand will bring me
Safely home by thy good grace
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Bought me with His precious blood.
3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Many choirs, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
, sing it as follows, in an arrangement by Mack Wilberg
. It is essentially the modern hymnal version, except that verse 2 is split into two parts and the last half of verse 3 is appended to each part to form two verses:
1. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
2. Here I raise my Ebenezer
;
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
3. Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
4. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
This version, titled "O Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and attributed to Robert Robinson, is found in several shape-note hymnals of the American South. The melody is attributed to A. Nettleton:
1. O Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me ever to adore Thee;
May I still Thy goodness prove;
While the hope of endless glory,
Fills my heart with joy and love.
2. Here I raise my Ebenezer:
Hither by Thy help I've come;
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the fold of God;
He to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood.
3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee.
Never let me wander from Thee,
Never leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
This version is found in America's 25 Hymns Vol 2 Arranged by Don Marsh
1.Come, thou fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise His name I'm fixed upon it,
Name of God's redeeming love.
2.O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.
Gateway Worship
added a chorus to the song for their album "Living For You" but left the verses untouched
Come, Thou Fount, come, Thou King;
Come, Thou precious Prince of Peace
Hear Your bride, to You we sing,
come, Thou Fount of our blessing
Come, Thou Fount, come, Thou King;
Come, Thou precious Prince of Peace
Hear Your bride, to You we sing,
come, Thou Fount of our blessing
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
written by the 18th century pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
and hymnist Robert Robinson
Robert Robinson (hymnist)
Robert Robinson was a determined English Dissenter, an influential Baptist and scholar who made a life-long study of the antiquity and history of Christian Baptism. He was also author of the hymns "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and "Mighty God, while angels bless Thee," the former of which...
. Robert Robinson penned the words at age 22 in the year 1757. The words of the hymn are in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
.
In the USA, the hymn is usually set to an American folk tune known as Nettleton, composed by printer John Wyeth, or possibly by Asahel Nettleton
Asahel Nettleton
Asahel Nettleton was an American theologian and pastor from Connecticut who was highly influential during the Second Great Awakening. The number of people converted to Christianity as a result of his ministry is estimated at 30,000. He attended Yale College from 1805 until his graduation in 1809...
. In the UK, the hymn is also often set to the tune Normandy by C Bost. The Nettleton tune is used extensively in partial or full quotation by the American composer Charles Ives
Charles Ives
Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
, in such works as the First String Quartet
String Quartet No. 1 (Ives)
String Quartet No. 1 is one of the most studied works by composer Charles Ives. The piece is composed for the standard string quartet of two violins, a viola, and a cello. There are four movements:*I. Andante con moto*II. Allegro*III. Adagio cantabile...
and the piano quintet and song "The Innate."
The song has gained a degree of popularity in recent years, in large part due to an arrangement by Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
(member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) composer Mack Wilberg
Mack Wilberg
Mack Wilberg is a composer, arranger, conductor, and Choral clinician, as well as the music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir...
, which appears at the end of the BYU Choirs
BYU Choirs
The choirs at Brigham Young University consist of four auditioned choirs: the Concert Choir, the Men's Chorus, the Women's Chorus, and the Brigham Young University Singers. Each choir is highly accomplished and performs from an extensive repertoire. Together, the choirs have recorded and released a...
concert "A Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns," recorded in April 1994, which is rebroadcast annually by hundreds of PBS affiliates. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...
and the Orchestra at Temple Square
Orchestra at Temple Square
The Orchestra at Temple Square is a 110-member orchestra located in Salt Lake City, UT. The Orchestra was created in 1999 under the direction of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of the creative initiative to continually strengthen and...
perform the Wilberg's arrangement of this hymn in their concerts, and occasionally on their weekly broadcast Music and the Spoken Word
Music and the Spoken Word
Music and the Spoken Word is a weekly 30-minute radio and television program of inspiring messages and music produced by Bonneville Communications with music performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir .The radio program is distributed by the CBS Radio Network and its broadcast center is KSL...
. It is featured on two of their albums, The Sound of Glory, and America's Choir and is the title song on the album "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" released in March 2009.
It has also been covered by David Crowder Band
David Crowder Band
The David Crowder Band is a six-piece Christian Modern Worship band from Waco, Texas.-Band history:The band began when David Crowder, from Texarkana, Texas, realized that almost half of the students at Baylor University were not attending church...
on their 1999 album All I Can Say
All I Can Say
All I Can Say is the second release by David Crowder Band recorded independently, released in 1999.-Track listing:#"All I Can Say" - 4:31#"He Was There" - 5:22#"Make a Joyful Noise" - 5:50#"He is the Love" - 4:52#"Rain Down" - 5:45...
, and on their live recording Our Love is Loud
Our Love is Loud
Our Love is Loud is a 2002 album recorded live at Passion conferences in Atlanta, GA, and Irvine, CA.-Track listing :#Here I Am To Worship - Tim Hughes, performed by Chris Tomlin#Enough - Chris Tomlin#Famous One - Chris Tomlin...
. Christian rock band Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.Jars of Clay consists of Dan Haseltine on vocals, Charlie Lowell on piano and keyboards, Stephen Mason on lead guitars and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitars...
has also covered the song as well as veteran Christian artist Scott Wesley Brown (www.scottwesleybrown.com). Nashville singer Matthew Smith has also recorded a popular version on his album All I Owe. Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
recorded a version for his Hark! Songs for Christmas album, which reached 122 in the US charts and is featured in the closing minutes of the season four premiere episode of Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
. Gateway Worship
Gateway Worship
Gateway Worship is an American Christian worship band from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The team leads worship at Gateway Church, a 24,000 member congregation located in Southlake, Texas, which has grown quickly since the church's beginnings in 2000...
performed the song on their album "Living for You" and added a chorus to the song calling it "Come Thou Fount Come Thou King". It also appears on Phil Wickham
Phil Wickham
Phil Wickham is a Contemporary Christian vocalist/songwriter and guitarist from San Diego, California. Wickham has released five CDs, Give You My World in 2003, a self-titled album in 2006, Cannons in 2007, singalong in 2008, and Heaven & Earth in 2009. His upcoming album "Response" is slated to...
's album 'sing-a-long'. This song is also sung by Clark Davis in the film Love Comes Softly
Love Comes Softly
Love Comes Softly is a 2003 Christian drama television movie set in the 19th century, based on a series of books by Janette Oke. It originally aired on Hallmark Channel in 2003...
based on the book of the same title by Janette Oke and is a recurring background music in the film.
Hymn
The original text of the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing":1. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
2. Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I'll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Eben-Ezer
Eben-Ezer , is the name of a location that is mentioned by the Books of Samuel as the scene of battles between the Israelites and Philistines. It is specified as having been less than a day's journey by foot from Shiloh, near Aphek, in the neighbourhood of Mizpah, near the western entrance of the...
;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
3. Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.
4. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
5. O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothèd then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
It has been revised and now appears in modern hymnals as the following:
1. Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.
2. Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
The following version was adapted by E. Margaret Clarkson in 1973.:
1. Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise His Name I'm fixed upon it
Name of God's redeeming love.
2. Hither to thy love has blessed me
Thou has brought me to this place
And I know thy hand will bring me
Safely home by thy good grace
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Bought me with His precious blood.
3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Many choirs, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...
, sing it as follows, in an arrangement by Mack Wilberg
Mack Wilberg
Mack Wilberg is a composer, arranger, conductor, and Choral clinician, as well as the music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir...
. It is essentially the modern hymnal version, except that verse 2 is split into two parts and the last half of verse 3 is appended to each part to form two verses:
1. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
2. Here I raise my Ebenezer
Eben-Ezer
Eben-Ezer , is the name of a location that is mentioned by the Books of Samuel as the scene of battles between the Israelites and Philistines. It is specified as having been less than a day's journey by foot from Shiloh, near Aphek, in the neighbourhood of Mizpah, near the western entrance of the...
;
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
3. Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
4. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
This version, titled "O Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and attributed to Robert Robinson, is found in several shape-note hymnals of the American South. The melody is attributed to A. Nettleton:
1. O Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me ever to adore Thee;
May I still Thy goodness prove;
While the hope of endless glory,
Fills my heart with joy and love.
2. Here I raise my Ebenezer:
Hither by Thy help I've come;
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the fold of God;
He to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood.
3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee.
Never let me wander from Thee,
Never leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
This version is found in America's 25 Hymns Vol 2 Arranged by Don Marsh
1.Come, thou fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise His name I'm fixed upon it,
Name of God's redeeming love.
2.O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.
Gateway Worship
Gateway Worship
Gateway Worship is an American Christian worship band from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The team leads worship at Gateway Church, a 24,000 member congregation located in Southlake, Texas, which has grown quickly since the church's beginnings in 2000...
added a chorus to the song for their album "Living For You" but left the verses untouched
Come, Thou Fount, come, Thou King;
Come, Thou precious Prince of Peace
Hear Your bride, to You we sing,
come, Thou Fount of our blessing
Come, Thou Fount, come, Thou King;
Come, Thou precious Prince of Peace
Hear Your bride, to You we sing,
come, Thou Fount of our blessing