How Great Thou Art

The Swedish original is old but the English words most congregations sing are Hine’s 1949 text and still in copyright. The venue’s hymn books or license covers the singing; do not reprint the words in an order of service without checking the license.

Pieces still in copyright are listed by title and author only — we name them and tell you where to get them, but we do not reproduce the words. Public-domain text is printed in your script in full.

How Great Thou Art is based on O Store Gud, a Swedish hymn written in 1885 by the poet and minister Carl Boberg, and the English words are a loose 1949 translation by the missionary Stuart K. Hine. It was popularized by George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows during Billy Graham’s crusades.

The singer looks at the world, at stars, thunder, forests and birdsong, and is overwhelmed by the greatness of the God who made it. Later verses turn to the cross and then to the moment of being taken home, when the singer will bow in joy and proclaim how great God is. The chorus is a full-throated declaration, and the hymn builds verse by verse to a big finish. Because Hine’s English words are still in copyright, they are not printed here.

Big and well loved. Watch the reprint license if there is a printed order of service. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: big sound · a full church · praise · popular.

A full church and a congregation that likes to sing, especially evangelical, Baptist, Methodist and Pentecostal families. It suits someone who loved the outdoors or the natural world, and a funeral where the family want the music to lift the room. It is a poor fit for a small, quiet service where a few voices will struggle with its range.

Often the closing hymn, sending people out on a high note, or the hymn after the eulogy. A soloist sometimes sings it, as at the crusades. The congregation sings, or listens to the soloist.

Sung through by the room, allow about 5 minutes, depending on how many verses the venue’s book carries and how slowly the organist takes it.

• Check the venue’s license before reprinting the words in an order of service; the singing is usually covered by the church’s license, the printing may not be.
• If a soloist is singing, agree with them whether the congregation joins the chorus.
• It is long and loud. Put it at a point in the service where nothing quiet follows straight after.
• Sit while it is sung. If it ends the service, have your closing words or blessing ready the moment it finishes.

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