1
When we survey the wondrous cross
On which the Lord of glory died,
Our richest gain we count but loss,
And pour contempt on all our pride.
On which the Lord of glory died,
Our richest gain we count but loss,
And pour contempt on all our pride.
2
Our God forbid that we should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, our Lord;
All the vain things that charm us most,
We’d sacrifice them to His blood.
Save in the death of Christ, our Lord;
All the vain things that charm us most,
We’d sacrifice them to His blood.
3
There from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flowed mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Sorrow and love flowed mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
4
His dying crimson, from His head
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
To all the world then am I dead,
And all the world is dead to me.
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
To all the world then am I dead,
And all the world is dead to me.
5
Were the whole realm of nature ours,
That were an offering far too small;
Love that transcends our highest pow’rs,
Demands our heart, our life, our all.
That were an offering far too small;
Love that transcends our highest pow’rs,
Demands our heart, our life, our all.
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Tolland, Connecticut, United States
At the time of Isaac Watts’ early years, churches in England sang only metrical Psalms. But by the time of his death, he had developed a style of a much more complex hymnody. His 6,000 hymns found in seven collections made the transition from stringent metrical psalmody to to liberated theological based hymnody.
This hymn published in ‘Hymns and Spiritual Songs’ in 1707 is significant for being an innovative departure from the early English style of only using paraphrased biblical texts. The first two lines do paraphrase the Apostle Paul’s verse found in Galatians 6:14. ‘But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ through whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.’
‘When I Survey the Wondrous Cross’ is one of Watts finest poems and an excellent example of why he is considered a fulcrum in the transition of hymnody.
The Reverend Dr. Carlton Young, editor of the 1989 U M hymnal notes that this hymn is clearly something different than Watts earlier poems that might be characterized as devotional poetry or as psalm paraphrase. Several hymnologists have noted that this hymn is an excellent example of many of his best techniques such as the ability to write beginning lines which capture ones attention, maintain the theme and build to a climax.
This hymn is particularly powerful because it contains many poetic devices.
For example, irony is found in the first stanza ‘ My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt in all my pride’
The third stanza contains a paradox of thorns composing ‘so rich a crown’
There are two rhetorical questions the poet asks in the 2nd half of his stanza: ‘Did e’er such love an sorrow meet?’ ‘Or thorns compose so rich a crown?’
In the climactic ending, Watts uses parallelism to evoke a response on behalf of the reader : ‘Demands my soul, my life, my all.’
In this hymnal the last line of the 5th stanza has been changed to a more accurate version ‘demands our heart, our life, our all.’ In the original version Watts uses ‘my’ because of his personal consecration to the Lord but the pronoun ‘our’ is used in this updated version to signify the Body, the corporate expression of Christ. Also heart is replaced for soul. Our heart is our loving organ with which we love the Lord.
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Lord Jesus Christ, please forgive my ingratitude!
...... did e'er such love and sorrow meet or thorns compose so rich a crown.
Only God could have inspired this hymn!
Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria
What a great love that He laid down His life for us.
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Thank You Jesus for saving me through the Cross. What I am today comes only through Your death. I love You Jesus.
London, United Kingdom
Did ever such love and sorrow meet or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Such love that transcends our highest powers demands our heart, our life, and our all! Amen Lord! Make Your home in our hearts and build Your body. Amen!
Lagos, Nigeria
Beautiful song. The precious cross where my Saviour shed His blood and washed away my sins and redeemed my life from destruction. Thank You Jesus. You are my life my everything. Praise God.
Nottingham, United Kingdom
I pray that God will help me with my pride. I love the line.... And pour contempt on all my pride. I love this greatly inspired hymn. I agree with everyone else, it definitely should be sung in the singular.
Tiruvalla, Kerala, India
I fully agree with the comment of 20th July 2014. It should be sung in the singular.
NYC, NY, United States
This beautiful and precious hymn written by such a gifted lover of God, should never be sung in the plural. It should always be sung in the singular as Isaac Watts meant it to be sung. Try to sing it in the singular, in a prayerful way and you will understand what I mean.
Leicester, United Kingdom
My all time favourite hymn ~ although I much prefer the original words that use "I" and not "we" and "our" making it more personal and in my opinion, meaningful.
I have often thought of the words when I have been too selfish and used them to regain perspective.