The Cyber Hymnal ‎#9780

9780. Come, Thou Almighty King

1 Come, Thou almighty King,
Help us Thy name to sing, help us to praise!
Father all glorious, o’er all victorious,
Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days!

2 Jesus, our Lord, arise,
Scatter our enemies, and make them fall;
Let Thine almighty aid our sure defense be made,
Our souls on Thee be stayed; Lord, hear our call.

3 Come, Thou incarnate Word,
Gird on Thy mighty sword, our prayer attend!
Come, and Thy people bless, and give Thy Word success,
Spirit of holiness, on us descend!

4 Come, holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear in this glad hour.
Thou who almighty art, now rule in every heart,
And ne’er from us depart, Spirit of power!

5 To Thee, great One in Three,
Eternal praises be, hence, evermore.
Thy sovereign majesty may we in glory see,
And to eternity love and adore!

Text Information

• First Line: Come, Thou almighty King
• Title: Come, Thou Almighty King
• Author (attributed to): Charles Wesley
• Language: English
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: Alternate tune: AMERICA, "Thesaurus Musicus;" This hymn is credited to Charles Wesley on very slight evidence that he is the author. While it has long been one of the most popular and widely used hymns among American Methodists, English Methodists, strangely enough, have never given it a place in any of their official hymnals…It was written…to be sung to the familiar tune to which God save the King and My country, ’tis of thee are sung. A brief history of the circumstances under which this national hymn originated will explain why in all probability the author of this noble Christian lyric…chose to remain unknown. The first two stanzas of this national anthem of England appeared as a song For Two Voices in a publication titled Harmonia Anglicana, which, though not dated, is supposed to have been published in 1743 or 1744. These stanzas are also known to have been existence in Latin at that time and to have been used as a Latin Chorus in a concert given by the organist of the Chapel Royal in 1743 or 1744. On September 28, 1745, this now famous English song is known to have been sung in Drury Lane Theater, London, in honor of King George, and a few days later at Covent Garden. At both places it awakened tumultuous applause. The following month (October, 1745), the music and words, as sung in both playhouses, were published in the Gentleman’s Magazine, with the third stanza…added. It was thus caught up and sung by everybody, and in due course of time, by virtue of its widespread popularity rather than by any official action, it came to be recognized as the national hymn of England. "The Hymns and Hymn Writers of the Church," New York: The Methodist Book Concern, 1911

Tune Information

• Name: [Come, Thou almighty King]
• Composer: Felice de Giardini (1769)
• Key: g minor
• Source: The Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes Sung at the Chapel of the Lock Hospital, 1769
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: De Giardini wrote the music specifically for this hymn