Bill Moyers - Athena

THE LYRICS TO “AMAZING GRACE”John Newton originally wrote six verses for“Amazing Grace,” although modern hymnalsusually contain only the first three:The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,The sun forbear to shine;But God, who called me here below,Will be forever mine.Amazing grace—how sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like me!I once was lost, but now am found,Was blind, but now I see.’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,And grace my fears relieved;How precious did that grace appearThe hour I first believed.Through many dangers, toils, and snares,I have already come;’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,And grace will lead me home.Newton’s remaining three verses are:The Lord has promised good to me.His word my hope secures;He will my shield and portion be,As long as life endures.Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,And mortal life shall cease;I shall possess, within the veil,A life of joy and peace.Portrait of John NewtonSome modern hymnals include a different fourth verse, one Newton didnot write:When we’ve been there ten thousand years,Bright shining as the sun;We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise,Than when we first begun.This verse also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin(1852). It’s believed the lyrics were taken from a 16th-century English hymncalled “Jerusalem, My Happy Home.” E.O. Excell, a Chicago composer andpublisher, added the stanza to Newton’s first three in a 1910 songbook.Adding new stanzas to the source song is not an uncommon practice. Inhis version, Pete Seeger sang an additional verse that was taught to himby Lee Hays and adapted from the hymn “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” byIsaac Watts:Shall I be wafted to the skiesOn flowery beds of ease,While others strive to win the prizeAnd sail through bloody seas?23