Friend

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Poor, weak, and worthless though I am

Author: John Newton
Published in 62 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

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Representative Text

1 Poor, weak, and worthless though I am,
I have a rich almighty friend;
Jesus, the Saviour, is His name,
He freely loves, and without end.

2 He ransom'd me from hell with blood,
And, by His power, my foes controll'd;
He found me wand'ring far from God,
And brought me to His chosen fold.

3 But, ah! my inmost spirit mourns;
And well my eyes with tears may swim,
To think of my perverse returns:
I’ve been a faithless friend to Him.

4 Often my gracious Friend I grieve,
Neglect, distrust, and disobey;
And often Satan’s lies believe
Sooner than all my Friend can say.

5 Sure, were I not most vile and base,
I could not thus my Friend requite!
And were not He the God of grace,
He'd frown and spurn me from his sight.

Source: Book of Worship (Rev. ed.) #422

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Author: John Newton

John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >

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First Line:	Poor, weak, and worthless though I am
Title:	Friend
Author:	John Newton
Meter:	8.8.8.8
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Tune

WARRINGTON

WARRINGTON was composed by Ralph Harrison (b. Chinley, Derbyshire, England, 1748; d. Manchester, Lancashire, England, 1810) and published in his collection of psalm tunes, Sacred Harmony (1784). The tune's rising inflections help to accent words such as erotic (probably the only time this word has b…

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ESTER (Terry)

HAMBURG

Lowell Mason (PHH 96) composed HAMBURG (named after the German city) in 1824. The tune was published in the 1825 edition of Mason's Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music. Mason indicated that the tune was based on a chant in the first Gregorian tone. HAMBURG is a very simple tune with…

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