What Wondrous Love Is This?

What Wondrous Love Is This

(American Folk Hymn; Words: At­trib­ut­ed to Al­ex­an­der Means.
Music: From The South­ern Har­mo­ny and Mu­sic­al Com­pan­ion, by William Walker
New York: Hast­ings House, 1835)

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down
Beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb, Who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free I’ll sing His love for me,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.

This wondrous hymn, "What Wondrous Love Is This," is still sung in churches throughout Appalachia; indeed, it is sung throughout America and the world. The magic of this song might come in part from the repetition, which functions almost like an incantation or a mantra. It also comes from the melody, with its haunting modal or "mountain minor" character. And surely it also comes from the powerful words. Most often this song is listed without composers, but I found an attribution (as seen above, Alexander Means and William Walker). The song seems so timeless that it feels like one of those anonymous folksongs that have been around forever.