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Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Spiritual based on Public Domain hymn; Words by Robert Robinson, 1758; Tune Traditional
ARTIST: from Brown Collection of NC Folklore by E. Myers, Route 6, Concord, Cabarrus county, 1924.
SHEET MUSIC:
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
DATE: 1758
RECORDING INFO: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing [Me III-D 29] - Robinson, Robert (Rev.)/Traditional
Rt - I Will Arise
At - Olney
Sm - Nettleton ; Hyfrydol
Mf - John Henry [the Steel Driving Man]
Chapple, Joseph Mitchell / Heart Songs, Chappell, Bk (1909), p506
Johnson, Charles (ed) / One Hundred & One Famous Hymns, Hallberg, Bk (1982), p 67
Diller, Dwight. Harvest. W. VA. Mountain Music, Yew Pine Mtn YP IX3, CD (1997), trk# 19 [1992]
Riddle, Almeda. How Firm a Foundation & Other Traditional Hymns, Arkansas Traditions 003, LP (1985), trk# A.01 [1982ca]
Rogers, Sally. Dulcimer Players News, DPN, Ser, 17/4, p 9(1991)
Rogers, Sally; and Claudia Schmidt. Closing the Distance, Flying Fish FF 425, LP (1987), trk# a.04a
Ross County Farmers. Farmer's Frolic, Marimac 9013, Cas (1987), trk# 8 [1986/10/11] (Come Thy Fount)
Simmons Family. Stone County Dulcimer, Dancing Doll DLP 112, LP (197?), trk# 1.08 (Come Thy Fount)
Simmons Family. Simmons, Tommy (ed.) / Simmons Family, Simmons, Sof (1974), p17 (Come Thy Fount)
OTHER NAMES: "Come Thy Fount"
RELATED TO: "Ten Thousand Charms"
SOURCES: Folk Index; Meade
NOTES: "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" is a public domain hymn with words by Robert Robinson in 1758 and the music is Nettleton, Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, by John Wyeth, 1813. Meade lists the tune as the Welsh traditional tune "Hyfrydol" Fredrick Chopin music- 1835. Early recording include Dye's Sacred Harp Singers in 1928 (titled "Olney") and Christian Harmony Singers in 1928.
The melody of this hymn has been used for the ballad John Henry. A bluegrass type version has been recorded by Martha Scanlan titled "Ten Thousand Charms" that combines both the "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing" and "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy" songs.
TEN THOUSAND CHARMS- Martha Scanlan (First stanza from "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," second from "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy")
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Sing me some melodious song,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Songs of Thy redeeming love.
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Traveling far from the throne of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
COME, THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING- John Wyeth (1770-1858) Words: Robert Robinson, 1758; appeared in his A Collection of Hymns Used by the Church of Christ in Angel Alley, Bishopgate, 1759. Music: Nettleton, Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, by John Wyeth, 1813.
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
562. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing- Brown Collection of NC Folklore
Jackson, who prints several settings of 'Come, Thou Fount' in DESO, says (p. 94) that the poem is by Robert Robinson (1735-1790) and that it "is found in practically all the shape-note song books." Dr. Brown notes: "The new thing is the chorus."
From E. Myers, Route 6, Concord, Cabarrus county, 1924. Dr. White notes: "This, and three other songs . . . were sung by two or three people, apparently at Mr. Myers' house. This one 'sung by an *African-American.'"
Chorus: We will walk through the streets of the city,
Where our friends have gone before;
We will sit on the hanks of the river,
Where we meet to part no more.
1. Come, thou fount of every blessing,
Time my heart to sing thy grace.
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise.
2 Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of thy redeeming love.
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