O God, Our Help in Ages Past
Isaac Watts · 1719 · tune ST ANNE
Key of C · public domain
Words
Verse 1O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Verse 2Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Verse 3Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
Verse 4A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
Verse 5Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
Verse 6O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
The story
Watts published this in 1719 in a book with the blunt title The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses and is the oldest psalm in the book, and its subject is the shortness of a human life measured against God. Watts did not soften it. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away, and they fly forgotten, as a dream. That is not comfort in any usual sense. The comfort is in the frame around it, the same four words at the start and the end: our eternal home. The hymn is sung in Britain every Remembrance Sunday, and it is the one that was played as the bells rang out for the end of the war.
Chords in C
Verse 1
C F G
O God, our help in ages past,
C Am G
Our hope for years to come,
C F G
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
Dm G C
And our eternal home.
Verse 2
C F G
Under the shadow of Thy throne
C Am G
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
C F G
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
Dm G C
And our defense is sure.
Verse 3
C F G
Before the hills in order stood,
C Am G
Or earth received her frame,
C F G
From everlasting Thou art God,
Dm G C
To endless years the same.
Verse 4
C F G
A thousand ages in Thy sight
C Am G
Are like an evening gone;
C F G
Short as the watch that ends the night
Dm G C
Before the rising sun.
Verse 5
C F G
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
C Am G
Bears all its sons away;
C F G
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dm G C
Dies at the opening day.
Verse 6
C F G
O God, our help in ages past,
C Am G
Our hope for years to come,
C F G
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
Dm G C
And our eternal home.
In the app you can move this to any key and it works out the capo for you.
Common questions
Who wrote O God, Our Help in Ages Past? Isaac Watts wrote the words in 1719.
What tune is it sung to? ST ANNE, set here in the key of C.
What scripture is it built on? Psalm 90.
Is O God, Our Help in Ages Past free to use in church? Yes. The words are public domain, which means any church may sing them, print them in a bulletin, put them on a screen or record them, without asking permission and without paying anyone.
The psalm it came from
O God, Our Help in Ages Past is Psalm 90 set to a tune. The psalm itself is here in full — King James, Berean Standard and Reina-Valera side by side, with a note on what it is doing and where it sits in the book.
Themes
Psalms · Time · Trust
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