Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

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^[1]. 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^[2], or possibly by Asahel Nettleton.^[3] In the UK, the hymn is also often set to the tune Normandy by C Bost.^[4] 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.

Hymn

The original text^[5] 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;
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^[6] 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.^[7]:

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

Notes

1. ^ Did Robert Robinson Wander as He Had Feared?, Christian History Institute, 2006
2. ^ John Wyeth, biography at the Cyber Hymnal
3. ^ "Christian Worship" Appendix I: Worship That Is Biblical, Reformed, and General Assembly Relevant on Worldwide Classroom, Mark Dalbey, pcsnews.com, 2003
4. ^ "Hymns and Psalms",Methodist Publishing House, London, 1983, no.517
5. ^ Lyrics at the Cyber Hymnal
6. ^ Lyrics at igracemusic.com
7. ^ Center for Christian Music

External links

• Words, Guitar Chords, Lead Sheet
• Story of Hymn
• Asahel Nettleton: The Forgotten Evangelist, by Jim Ehrhard
• Link to midi file for tune 'Normandy'