what wondrous love is this hymn
What Wondrous Love Is This is a cherished American folk hymn that beautifully captures awe at God's sacrificial love, originating from the early 19th-century Southern revival meetings.
Its haunting melody and repetitive, soul-stirring lyrics have endured for over two centuries, evoking the raw emotion of camp meetings during America's Second Great Awakening.
Hymn Origins
This hymn emerged in the rugged Appalachian South around 1811, first appearing in print in camp meeting songbooks like Stith Mead's A General Selection of the Newest and Most Admired Hymns and Spiritual Songs Now in Use in Lynchburg, Virginia, and a variant in Starke Dupuy's collection from Lexington, Kentucky.
The author of the lyrics remains anonymous, reflecting the oral tradition of the era when songs spread by word-of-mouth among frontier folk.
Its tune, known as "Wondrous Love," draws from an old English ballad about pirate Captain Kidd (Roud 5089), adapted into shape-note singing—a simplified notation using shapes for pitches that empowered unlettered congregations to join in communal worship.
Composer William "Singing Billy" Walker encountered the melody on his travels, notating it for his 1835 Southern Harmony (expanded in 1840), where James Christopher of South Carolina arranged a three-part harmony; it later anchored editions of The Sacred Harp.
Full Lyrics
The hymn unfolds in seven stanzas, building from wonder to eternal praise—here's the traditional text:
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!
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!
Variants tweak lines like "Lord of bliss" to "Lord of Life" or soften "dreadful curse," aligning with modern sensibilities while preserving its raw theology.
Cultural Impact
Picture fervent gatherings under torchlight in 1810s Virginia: rough-hewn log benches filled with farmers, immigrants, and seekers, voices rising in unison to this minor-key lament-turned-praise, mirroring the Irish-Scottish folk strains of Appalachian migrants.
By the 1840s, shape-note books like Walker's spread it across the antebellum South, embedding it in Sacred Harp traditions still sung today in all-day singings.
In 1958, Samuel Barber elevated it with Wondrous Love: Variations for Organ , premiered at a Michigan church dedication—four expressive variations transforming folk simplicity into profound meditation.
Modern Resonance and Trending Context
As of March 2026, this Lenten and Easter staple thrives in Catholic, Methodist, and ecumenical circles, with recent forum chatter on sites like She Reads Truth praising its "sweet shock of our Father’s wondrous love" amid personal testimonies of grace.
Devotees share virtual choir renditions (e.g., Sunday 7pm Choir's 2021 video) and reflections like "Needed this today—simple truths are often the most powerful," tying it to John 3:16's eternal lifeline.
No major 2025-2026 headlines dominate searches, but its timeless pull shines in worship playlists and blogs, like Healthy Spirituality's 2024 nod to its "heart-stirring" (pun intended) call to ponder divine mercy.
**TL;DR: "What Wondrous Love Is This" is an anonymous 1811 Appalachian folk hymn of God's redemptive love, paired with a pirate-ballad tune in shape-note collections—still inspiring souls from revivals to modern choirs.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.