What are the lyrics to ‘How Great Thou Art’ – and what’s the history?

16 February 2022, 15:53

The Christian hymn has roots in Sweden and has since travelled across the world.

‘How Great Thou Art’ is a Christian hymn which started life as a poem set to a Swedish melody.

The poem, ‘O Store Gud’ (O Great God), was written by the Swedish poet and lay minister, Carl Boberg, in 1885. According to hymnologist J. Irving Erickson, the poem is said to be inspired from a sudden violent thunderstorm which Boberg was caught in on his way home from church.

After the storm had cleared, and Boberg had returned home, he opened his window and looked out towards the sea. The evening was quiet, and Boberg could hear the sound of church bells. It was these sights and sounds that inspired the words of ‘O Store Gud’.

The lyrics were matched with a traditional Swedish folk song and first sung in a church in 1888, three years after the poem was written.

As the hymn’s popularity gained momentum, the lyrics began to spread across the world. British missionary Stuart K. Hine translated the lyrics into English. His translation was actually done from Russian lyrics, which were a translation of German lyrics, which were a translation of the original Swedish lyrics.

Hine also added two original verses of his own to the 1949 translation, which still feature in the lyrics today.

Read more: What are the lyrics to British hymn ‘Abide with Me’?

How Great Thou Art (feat. Lauren Daigle) - Hillsong UNITED

What are the lyrics to ‘How Great Thou Art’?

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow’r thru-out the universe displayed!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze,

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in –
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

[OFFICIAL VIDEO] How Great Thou Art - Pentatonix featuring Jennifer Hudson

Who has performed ‘How Great Thou Art’?

There have been over 1,700 documented recordings of ‘How Great Thou Art’.

It has been named as the favourite hymn of at least three of the United States’ presidents and featured in major films and television programmes.

The song has also been covered by notable performers including Pentatonix and Jennifer Hudson in 2017, and country artist, Carrie Underwood.

In 1967, Elvis Presley also recorded the hymn as the title track of his second gospel LP How Great Thou Art which earned him two Grammy awards.