No. 88 Wondrous Love, Osh 159
Hexatonic, mode 4 a (I II — IV V 6 7)
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 and joyful be,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.
The song is found also, SOH (1854) 252, GOS 436, PB 384, OL 371, and in various tune books of the Baptists up to the present time. The Southern Harmony attributes the tune to “Christopher”; Good Old Songs, to “J. Christopher”; and the Hesperian Harp attributes the words to the “Rev. Alex Means, A. M., M. D., D. D., LL. D.”, a Methodist minister of Oxford, Ga. It looks as though tune and words were born together, so beautifully they fit. The stanzaic form is that of the ‘Captain Kidd’ ballad which has been widely sung and parodied since the beginning of the eighteenth century. A spiritual song tune related to ‘Wondrous Love’ is ‘Villulia’ in this collection. I have heard the country folk sing this tune with the dorian raised sixth.