Crown Him With Many Crowns
Matthew Bridges · 1851 · tune DIADEMATA
Key of D · public domain
Words
The Lamb upon His throne
Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity
Behold His hands and side
Rich wounds yet visible above
In beauty glorified
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight
But downward bends his burning eye
At mysteries so bright
The potentate of time
Creator of the rolling spheres
Ineffably sublime
All hail, Redeemer, hail
For Thou hast died for me
Thy praise shall never, never fail
Throughout eternity
The story
Matthew Bridges published six verses in 1851; Godfrey Thring wrote six more in 1874 because he was unhappy with some of Bridges' theology, and most hymnals now sing a mixture without telling you which is which. The starting point is Revelation 19:12, where the rider on the white horse has on his head many crowns. Bridges takes the plural literally and hands Him a different one in every verse, which is why the hymn can be sung at almost any point in the church year. The wounds in the second verse are the detail worth noticing: rich wounds, yet visible above. Glorified, not erased.
Chords in D
In the app you can move this to any key and it works out the capo for you.
Themes
Worship · Christ the King · Adoration