Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Brickman enrolled in the Cleveland Institute of Music taking courses in composition and performance, while taking business classes at Case Western Reserve University. His music career started when he was nineteen, when Jim Henson hired him to write tunes for Sesame Street. He was also hired to write commercial jingles while in college.
Brickman writes a wide variety of music. Besides his piano compositions and love songs, he has also created arrangements of other songs. Several of his albums feature arrangements of children's music; he has produced two Christmas-themed albums The Gift (1997) and Peace (2003); and his 2005 album Grace concentrates on arrangements of well-known Christian music.
Jim Brickman has also starred in the now-on-DVD PBS specials "My Romance: An Evening with Jim Brickman", "Love Songs & Lullabies" and "The Disney Songbook." In 2006, he sponsored his first Jim Brickman Valentine's Day Cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines which has become an annual event.
Crown Him With Many Crowns
Jim Brickman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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.
Crown him the virgin's Son,
The God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won
Which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose,
As of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows,
The Babe of Bethlehem.
Crown him the Son of God,
Before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where he hath trod,
Crown him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known
That wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own,
That all in him may rest.
Crown him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those he came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.
Crown him the Lord of peace,
Whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
And all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end,
And round his piercèd feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet.
Crown him the Lord of love,
Behold his hands and side,
Those 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.
Crown him the Lord of Heaven,
Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown him the King to whom is given
The wondrous name of Love.
Crown him with many crowns,
As thrones before him fall;
Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns,
For he is King of all.
Crown him the Lord of lords,
Who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word,
For ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light,
Where saints with angels sing
Their songs before him day and night,
Their God, Redeemer, King.
Crown him the Lord of years,
The Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail
Throughout eternity.
The lyrics to Jim Brickman's song Crown Him With Many Crowns are an ode to the majesty and holiness of Jesus Christ. The hymn begins by inviting the listener to visualize Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, seated on his throne, surrounded by the sounds of heavenly music. The call to "Awake, my soul," signals a recognition of the need to pay reverence to the Son of God for the ultimate sacrifice he made for humanity's sins. The chorus calls for a universal recognition of his divine sovereignty, both in the present and through all eternity.
In verse two, he is referred to as the Son of the Virgin Mary, who was born to redeem humanity from their sins. He is also the "mystic rose," representing the perfect union of divinity and humanity. In verse three, the theme of the divine-human paradox continues. He is the Son of God who pre-existed before the creation of the world, and also the Son of Man who fully experienced the pain of humanity. He is portrayed in verse four as the victorious Lord of Life who triumphed over the grave and rose again to bring eternal life to those who believe.
In verse five, he is hailed as the Lord of Peace, the God who has the power to bring about the cessation of all wars, promoting prayer and praise as an alternative. The final three stanzas repeat the hymn’s recurring theme of divine royalty, expressing the idea that Jesus’ reign will endure throughout the ages.
Line by Line Meaning
Crown him with many crowns,
Let us shower Jesus with infinite blessings, adulations and praise.
The Lamb upon his throne.
He is the Lamb of God who sits on the throne of heaven.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.
The melody of praise sung by the angels in heaven overpowers any earthly music.
Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee,
Let my soul be awakened to sing of Jesus who died on the cross for my sins.
And hail him as thy matchless King through all eternity.
Let us honor and proclaim Jesus as our unparalleled King forever.
Crown him the virgin's Son,
Jesus is the Son of the Virgin Mary.
The God incarnate born,
He is God in human form, born into this world.
Whose arm those crimson trophies won which now His brow adorn;
Jesus gained victory over sin and death, as symbolized by the trophies of His blood stained headpiece.
Fruit of the mystic rose,
Jesus is the product of Mary, the chosen one or the chosen rose.
As of that rose the stem;
He is the vine we cling onto and the fitting heir to His Mother's royal line.
The root whence mercy ever flows,
Jesus is a root or source of mercy that flows forth eternally in all directions.
The Babe of Bethlehem.
Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem.
Crown him the Son of God,
Jesus is the Son of God, made known before the creation of the world.
Before the worlds began,
He is the Creator of all that is and was always present, from the beginning of time.
And ye who tread where he hath trod,
Those who follow in Jesus' footsteps should proclaim Him as the Son of Man.
Crown him the Son of Man;
He is the Son of Man, who understands and comforts every heart that deeply mourns.
Who every grief hath known that wrings the human breast,
Jesus has experienced firsthand the suffering and sorrows of humankind.
And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest.
He carries our burdens, becoming a resting place for all who put their faith and trust in Him.
Crown him the Lord of life,
Jesus is the Lord of life, who triumphed over death.
Who triumphed over the grave,
He conquered death, the greatest enemy of humanity.
And rose victorious in the strife for those he came to save.
He rose victorious, having saved humanity from their sins.
His glories now we sing,
Let us honor and sing about the glories of Jesus.
Who died, and rose on high,
He died in human form and rose again in divine form.
Who died eternal life to bring,
Jesus' death and resurrection bring us the hope of eternal life.
And lives that death may die.
He lives so that death may be defeated.
Crown him the Lord of peace,
Jesus is the Lord of peace, whose reign will bring peace to the world.
Whose power a scepter sways from pole to pole, that wars may cease,
His power is such that it can end all wars from one end of the earth to the other.
And all be prayer and praise.
Jesus' reign will bring about a state of perpetual prayer and worship.
His reign shall know no end,
His reign will never end, lasting forever.
And round his piercèd feet fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet.
Paradise blooms at the pierced feet of Jesus, filling the air with sweet fragrance.
Crown him the Lord of love,
Jesus is the embodiment of love, and so let us crown Him accordingly.
Behold his hands and side,
Let us fix our gaze on the wounds in His hands and side that stand as testimony to His sacrificial love.
Those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
The wounds on His body shine with a holy glow, even now, long after Jesus' resurrection.
No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight,
Even the heavenly angels cannot comprehend the depth of Jesus' love, as seen in his wounds.
But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright.
The angels bow in reverence before Jesus' love, which is like a great fire illuminating the mysteries of life.
Crown him the Lord of Heaven,
Jesus dwells in Heaven, and therefore let us crown Him as the Lord of Heaven.
Enthroned in worlds above,
Jesus is seated on His throne, ruling over all the worlds above.
Crown him the King to whom is given the wondrous name of Love.
Jesus is the King who has been given the amazing name of Love, and so let us crown Him so.
Crown him with many crowns, as thrones before him fall;
As we bow in Jesus' presence, may we no longer aspire to thrones but instead crown Him with blessings beyond measure.
Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns, for he is King of all.
All kings and rulers should pay homage to Jesus, the King of kings, and crown Him above all else.
Crown him the Lord of lords,
Jesus is the Lord of lords, above all other rulers.
Who over all doth reign,
He reigns over all creation, both in heaven and on earth.
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain,
He is the Word of God who incarnated into human form and was sacrificed for the sake of sinners.
Now lives in realms of light,
He resides in the realm of light, in the presence of God.
Where saints with angels sing their songs before him day and night,
Saints and angels alike sing hymns of praise before him unceasingly.
Their God, Redeemer, King.
Jesus is the God, the Redeemer, and the King of all.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Integrity Music
Written by: GEORGE JOB ELVEY, JAMES MERRILL BRICKMAN, MATTHEW BRIDGES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind