How Great Thou Art Lyrics: Full Verses, History & Meaning

Few hymns bridge the gap between a Swedish thunderstorm in 1885 and a modern funeral recessional quite like “How Great Thou Art.” The song’s four verses move from awe at creation to the cross, culminating in a homecoming promise that has made it a go-to choice for commemorating lives well-lived.

Origin: Swedish poem, 1885 · English Translator: Stuart K. Hine · Verses: 4 · Billy Graham Favorite: Yes · Common Uses: Funerals, worship

The key facts table below summarizes the hymn’s core attributes for quick reference.

How Great Thou Art Lyrics

The full English lyrics span four verses with a repeating chorus. The first two verses trace back to Boberg’s original Swedish text, while the latter two verses were composed by Hine and added their distinctive theological arc.

Full Lyrics All Verses

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout 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!

When through 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 see 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!

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!

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 then proclaim: “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!

The theological progression moves from nature (Verses 1–2), to the cross (Verse 3), to glorification and homecoming (Verse 4). That arc explains why funeral directors and families consistently gravitate toward this selection—it reframes death not as an ending but as a reunion.

Lyrics and Chords

The hymn works in several common keys for congregational singing. Contemporary arrangements by Keith and Kristyn Getty have maintained the original chord structure while adding modern harmonic textures suitable for contemporary worship settings. Traditional arrangements typically keep the melody in a range accessible to most voices, with the chorus repeating after each verse as a thematic anchor.

Lyrics Meaning

The hymn’s central claim—that observing creation naturally leads to praising God—draws from Psalm 8. Boberg’s great-nephew Bud Boberg noted the original text functioned as a paraphrase of that psalm in Sweden’s underground churches during Baptist persecution. Hine extended the scope by adding verses about Christ’s sacrifice and the believer’s ultimate homecoming, which gave the hymn its funeral-ready emotional payload.

Billy Graham, who made this hymn his signature closer, observed that it “turns the eyes of the listener away from themselves and toward God.” That redirection from self-focus to God-focus is what gives the lyrics their staying power across denominations and decades.

Who Originally Wrote How Great Thou Art?

Carl Boberg (1859–1940) was a Swedish poet, minister, and magazine editor when he composed the original nine-stanza poem “O Store Gud” in 1885. The immediate catalyst was a sudden midday thunderstorm on the southeast coast of Sweden that rolled in, passed quickly, and left behind birdsong and ringing church bells. Boberg captured that sequence of awe, stillness, and spiritual reflection in the opening stanzas.

Original Swedish Poem

The original poem began with “O Store Gud, nar jag den varld beskader” and appeared in Boberg’s own magazine in 1886. It was set to a Swedish folk melody, which helped it spread through informal channels rather than institutional ones. The hymn originated as a folk hymn, not drafted in a studio or by a church committee—that grassroots origin helps explain its staying power across settings from small-town funerals to cathedral spaces.

An early English translation was done by E. Gustav Johnson in 1925, but it was Stuart K. Hine’s later paraphrase that achieved global dominance.

English Adaptation

Stuart K. Hine, an English missionary working in the Carpathian Mountains of Soviet Ukraine, first encountered the hymn as a Russian translation in 1931. He learned it in Russian, rewrote those verses, and only then adapted them into English—working backward from a Slavic intermediary rather than directly from Boberg’s Swedish. This circuitous path introduced subtle influences from Ukrainian public repentance practices and, later, from the experiences of WWII refugees, which shaped his original additions.

The definitive English version was completed over the 1930s and 1940s, with copyrights assigned to an American firm in 1954. The first two English verses derive from Boberg’s original; the latter two verses—particularly the homecoming theology of Verse 4—come from Hine’s composition.

What is the Story Behind How Great Thou Art?

The story spans continents and generations, starting with a Swedish poet, passing through Russian-speaking missionaries, and arriving at American crusades. Each chapter added a layer that broadened the hymn’s appeal.

Swedish Origins

Boberg’s original composition drew explicitly from Psalm 8, which frames humanity’s place in creation as a question of divine intention—”What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” The thunderstorm experience gave Boberg a visceral entry point: power, terror, then beauty. The original nine-stanza form let him develop that theme at length, but subsequent translations and abridgments stripped it down to the four-verse structure now standard in English hymnals. To understand the full depth of this hymn, explore Hamlet’s meaning and significance.

Global Spread

Hine’s 1931 encounter with the Russian version in the Carpathians came during his missionary work. The Russian translation he encountered had already absorbed Eastern Orthodox sensibilities, which influenced the hymn’s emotional register when Hine reworked it. He later witnessed Ukrainian public repentance practices during worship, which reportedly shaped his understanding of genuine spiritual response—a theological sensitivity evident in his added verses.

The hymn gained its American foothold through George Beverly Shea, who sang it nearly every night—over 100 times—at Billy Graham’s 1957 New York Crusade at Madison Square Garden. That concentrated exposure introduced the hymn to millions who had never encountered it before. In 1959, it became the theme song for Graham’s weekly radio broadcast, cementing its place in American religious culture.

The recognition followed quickly: April 1974 brought a Christian Herald magazine poll naming it the No. 1 hymn in America, and in 1978 ASCAP named it “The All-Time Outstanding Gospel Song.” The hymn has been recorded over 1,800 times in the last 50 years, consistently ranking as the #2 greatest hymn just behind “Amazing Grace.” The implication is clear: the hymn’s grassroots trajectory—from folk origins through crusade performances to institutional recognition—continues to drive its adoption across denominations.

Is How Great Thou Art a Funeral Hymn?

Yes—and not merely as an option among many. Verse 4’s homecoming theology has made it one of the most frequently programmed hymns at memorial services across denominations. The promise that death leads to joyful reunion with Christ gives mourners a theological frame for processing loss.

Popular at Funerals

The specific line “When Christ shall come, and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart” is why funeral directors and families gravitate to this selection. It reframes death as a transition rather than a termination, promising that the bereaved will see their loved one again. That message resonates regardless of how regularly the family attends worship.

The hymn has been performed at state funerals and traditional ceremonies as a recessional. It appears on playlists for small-town funerals, sung in cathedrals, and performed at the Grand Ole Opry. The breadth of settings reflects the hymn’s adaptability and its universal appeal.

Most Played Hymn

While exact ranking data varies by source and methodology, the hymn consistently appears in lists of most-requested funeral music. The combination of familiar melody, accessible lyrics, and theologically substantive content makes it a reliable choice when families face a difficult decision under time pressure. A 1974 Christian Herald poll named it the No. 1 hymn in America, which correlates with its funeral prominence.

Do Catholics Sing How Great Thou Art?

Yes. The hymn appears in Catholic hymnals alongside Protestant and evangelical collections, reflecting its ecumenical reach. The Getty worship tradition—Keith and Kristyn Getty have recorded contemporary arrangements—has helped maintain its visibility in Catholic liturgical settings as well.

Catholic Usage

The hymn’s theological content aligns well with Catholic understanding of creation, redemption, and eschatology. Verse 1’s praise of creation echoes the Catholic emphasis on the goodness of material reality; Verse 3’s focus on Christ’s sacrifice fits atonement theology; Verse 4’s homecoming language resonates with Catholic understanding of eternal life. This theological alignment helps explain its presence in Catholic liturgical resources.

Denominational Versions

Contemporary arrangements by the Gettys have introduced the hymn to younger congregations in multiple denominations. Their modern instrumentation and production values make the hymn accessible to congregations accustomed to contemporary worship music while maintaining the original lyrical content. Traditional arrangements continue to appear in denominational hymnals including Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Catholic collections.

The pattern across denominations reveals how a single hymn can transcend liturgical boundaries when its theological content resonates with multiple traditions’ core beliefs about creation, salvation, and eternal life.

Timeline

Six milestones trace the hymn’s journey from regional folk hymn to global standard.

The pattern that emerges: the hymn consistently moves through informal channels before institutional adoption. Folk melodies, missionary translations, crusade performances, and congregational singing all preceded formal hymnbook inclusion. That grassroots trajectory continues—contemporary versions spread through recording and streaming before appearing in printed resources.

Related reading: “what joy shall fill my heart” · “listen on YouTube”

From Carl Boberg’s 1885 Swedish poem to Billy Graham crusades, the hymn’s full lyrics and chordscaptured hearts worldwide with its timeless verses.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• How Great Thou Art — Wikipedia (comprehensive timeline and origins)
• The Tabernacle Choir (detailed Boberg inspiration account)
• Your Funeral Songs (funeral context and theology)
• Hymnary.org (authoritative hymn text resource)