Come Thou Fount
Freddie Ashby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.
O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.
Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.
The lyrics of "Come Thou Fount" are a prayer to God, asking for His guidance and grace. The hymn begins with the plea for God to tune the singer's heart to sing His grace, acknowledging Him as the source of every blessing. The singer acknowledges the never-ending streams of mercy that God bestows upon them and calls for songs of praise. They ask to be taught some melodious sonnet, presumably with the aim of being able to offer more worthy praise to God.
In the second verse, the singer confesses their dependence on God, stating that they are a "debtor" to His grace every day. They ask for God's goodness to act as a fetter and bind their wandering heart to Him. The singer admits to feeling prone to wander from God, but ultimately asks for their heart to be taken and sealed for God's courts above. The final stanza repeats parts of the first, with emphasis on the singer's tendency to wander and the request for God to seal their heart.
The lyrics of this hymn convey a sense of humility and dependence on God, acknowledging His greatness and generosity while admitting human weakness and sinfulness. It is a reminder to seek God's grace and to strive to remain steadfast in one's faith.
Line by Line Meaning
Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
Oh supreme source of all good things, I call upon you,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Adjust my heart so that I may sing of your kindness,
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
A continuous flow of benevolence never ending,
call for songs of loudest praise.
It commands for melodies of the highest expression of gratitude.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Show me how to sing an eloquent poem,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Sung by heavenly hosts with passion beyond the human capacity.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
I give adoration to the mountain, and it is my anchor,
mount of thy redeeming love.
The haven of your restorative love.
O to grace how great a debtor
Oh, how heavily I depend on your grace,
daily I'm constrained to be!
It is my permanent and daily obligation.
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
May your kindness captivate me like shackles,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
So that my heart that strays will be restrained to you.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
I am inclined to drift away, my God, I admit,
prone to leave the God I love;
I am susceptible to abandoning the one I declare my love.
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
I offer you my heart, please accept and make it secure.
seal it for thy courts above.
Please permit it to dwell in your heavenly dwelling.
Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
Oh supreme source of all good things, I call upon you,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Adjust my heart so that I may sing of your kindness,
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
A continuous flow of benevolence never ending.
call for songs of loudest praise.
It commands for melodies of the highest expression of gratitude.
Contributed by Victoria Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.