In 1835, American composer William Walker set John Newton’s 1779 hymn “Amazing Grace” to the tune known as “New Britain” in a shape-note format—the form it is usually heard today.
The Blind Boys of Alabama—a gospel group of visually impaired men, founded in 1939 in Talladega, Alabama, with a changing roster of musicians over the decades—put Newton’s words to the tune of the traditional folk song, “The House of the Rising Sun.”
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believ’d!
Thro’ many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.
John Newton, Olney Hymns, 1779
An additional versed not penned by Newton was passed down orally by African Americans in the early 1800s:
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise,
Than when we first begun.[5
