Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee
Martin Luther; tr. Catherine Winkworth · 1524 · tune AUS TIEFER NOT
Key of Am · public domain
Words
Lord, hear me, I implore Thee.
Bend down Thy gracious ear to me;
My prayer let come before Thee.
If Thou rememberest each misdeed,
If each should have its rightful meed,
Who may abide Thy presence?
To blot out my transgression;
The best and holiest deeds must fail
To break sin's dread oppression.
Before Thee none can boasting stand,
But all must fear Thy strict demand
And live alone by mercy.
And not in mine own merit;
It rests upon His faithful Word
To them of contrite spirit
That He is merciful and just;
This is my comfort and my trust.
His help I wait with patience.
And round till morning waken,
My heart shall never doubt His might
Nor count itself forsaken.
O Israel, trust in God your Lord;
Born of the Spirit and the Word,
Now wait for His appearing.
The story
This is one of the first hymns of the Reformation, written in 1524, five years before A Mighty Fortress. Psalm 130 is a penitential psalm and it contains the question Luther built his whole theology around: if thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? The psalm gives the answer in the next line, but there is with thee forgiveness. Luther's second verse puts it as plainly as it can be put: the best and holiest deeds must fail to break sin's dread oppression. The hymn was sung in the streets of Halle as his coffin was carried through in 1546. The English words here are Catherine Winkworth's, made in 1863.
Chords in Am
In the app you can move this to any key and it works out the capo for you.
Common questions
Who wrote Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee? Martin Luther; tr. Catherine Winkworth wrote the words in 1524.
What tune is it sung to? AUS TIEFER NOT, set here in the key of Am.
What scripture is it built on? Psalm 130.
Is Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee 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
Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee is Psalm 130 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 · Repentance · Grace