Amazing Grace verse

Subject: Amazing Grace verse
From:
Date: 27 Jan 97 - 07:11 PM

I've heard a verse to Amazing Grace that goes as follows "Shall we be wafted to the skies on flow'ry beds of ease While others strive to win the prize and sail on bloody seas." Seems to be in keeping with the story I've heard about the writing of the song, but I'm not sure if the Verse is part of the original, or an add on. Thoughts?

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: Bill
Date: 28 Jan 97 - 01:41 AM

Howdy,

The wafted to the skies verse is one that Arlo Guthrie has recorded on different albums. Since he often talks his waythrough this and many other songs with explanations about them, I believe I remember him saying that this is his favorite verse to the song, and that it was added by Lee Hays. I'll check out one of the Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie together albums and let you know if I find any different explanation.

Allinkausay,

Bill

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: Duster Jim
Date: 01 Feb 97 - 12:20 PM

Amazing Grace originally writen by John Newton (1725-1807) had 17 verses. The tune that we currently sing it to is an early american melody called McINTOSH. although I am unable to locate all the verses at this time, the verse you have discribed is similar to a verse writen by Isaac Watts (1674-1748) in his song Am "I a soldier of the cross?" Isaac Watts song is put to the tune of Arlington and as both of these tunes are written in common meter (8.6.8.6.), they are interchangable with one another.

I hope that this information is of help. Duster Jim

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: Ralph Butts
Date: 01 Feb 97 - 02:35 PM

Jim...

I hope you or someone else can up with the Newton original. I have several versions which include the commonly-heard stanzas. One, from Judy Collins, has two stanzas beginning:

"How sweet the name of Jesus sounds...

and

"Shall Jesus bear the cross alone....

These two stanzas appear to have been amalgamated from a separate song, "How sweet, etc.

We know that popular songs are added to for political reasons (fill in your cause), but the original is always most refreshing.

By the way, PBS did a show on Amazing Grace a while back which 'kind of' traced its history, up to its entry into the pop culture in the '60s. An interesting show, it told how the melody and singing style have changed over the years.

Good searching......Tiger

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: arnowitt
Date: 01 Feb 97 - 09:10 PM

Any sources for the 17 verse version???

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: Duster Jim
Date: 02 Feb 97 - 09:29 PM

I believe the 17 verses were in an autobiography of John Newton that I read at one time. I'll check around and if I locate them I'll post them on a separate thread under Amazing Grace 17 verses.

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From:
Date: 27 Apr 04 - 02:40 PM

Can anyone send me a copy of Amazing Grace in French? Surely there are missionaries or pastors who have worked in France and who have the text in French. Two or Three verses would be a great help to a choir that is going to France in a few weeks for the 6oth anniversary of D-Day. I have spent 2 hours looking up websites from Google, but a Cajun version is all I could find. If you can e-mail it to me or tell me where I can find a French text, I would be deeply grateful.

Robert Morris

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From:
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 01:54 PM

Would like the lyrics to "Amazing Grace". Only know first verse. Thanks so much. Toni

Subject: Lyr Add: AMAZING GRACE (John Newton)
From: Haruo
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 06:21 PM

The hymn originally entitled "Faith's Review and Expectation" only has six verses as Newton published it in the Olney Hymns:

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!

Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine

give or take a variant spelling or punctuation mark.

Recent hymnal versions most often omit the sixth stanza, often omit the fourth and/or fifth, and usually include as the final stanza:

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.

This last verse is not by Newton; its origin, like the origin of the tune hymnologists call NEW BRITAIN that we think of as "Amazing Grace", is a matter of speculation.

Haruo

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 07:03 PM

See the long list of links above to other discussions here where all this information, and much more (together with plenty of misinformation, of course) can be found.

It might be best to resist the temptation to re-post everything to this old, forgotten thread as well. It's already hard enough to sort out the wheat from the chaff without having it all repeated yet again. I can only assume that "Toni" came across this old thread through an external search engine, or didn't have the patience to read the longer and more useful discussions.

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: Haruo
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 08:35 PM

Yeah, you're right, MD.

Haruo

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: masato sakurai
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 11:10 PM

Robert, "Amazing Grace" in French is here.

E-mail sent.

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From:
Date: 06 May 05 - 10:53 AM

Please send me the lyrics to Amazing Grace in Spanish. Gracias.

Subject: Lyr Add: SUBLIME GRACIA
From: masato sakurai
Date: 06 May 05 - 02:24 PM

SUBLIME GRACIA

Sublime gracia del Señor
Que a mi pecador salvó
fui ciego mas hoy miro yo
perdido y el me amó.

En los peligros o aflicción
que yo he tenido aquí
su gracia siempre me libró
y me guiará feliz.

Su gracia me enseño a temer
mis dudas ahuyentó
o cuan precioso fue a mi ser
al dar mi corazón.

Y cuando en Sión por siglos mil
brillando este cual sol
yo cantaré por siempre allí
su amor que me salvo.

From here.

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse IN spanish
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Oct 06 - 10:38 PM

Hope you can put on the the word Of amazing grace , But in spanish thanks an God Bless You.

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: Urbane_Guerrilla
Date: 17 Oct 06 - 09:55 PM

This may not be quite right for this thread, but fun nonetheless. This filk-up is a traditional Society for Creative Anachronism favorite:

A grazing mace, how swift the splat!
That slew a wretch like thee!
How round was the head that now is flat --
Done in by my mace and me.

A grazing mace, how sweet the sound
That slew a wretch like thee!
You're lying there upon the ground
You've left the field to me.

Doubtless there are dozens of local variations, as filks bring out the -- verse -- in people.

Subject: Lyr Add: AMAZING GRACE (John Newton)
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Oct 06 - 07:41 AM

These are all I've used:

1. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.

2. 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

3. Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

4. The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

6. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be for ever mine.

7. When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing Our praise
Than when we'd first begun.
8. How long, dear God, oh how long
Have I on earth to stay?
Roll on, roll on, ye wheels of time
And bring that joyful day.

9. How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds
And drives away his fear.

10. Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world go free?
No, there's a cross for everyone
And there's a cross for me.

11. As now we lay our garments down
Upon our beds to rest
'Though death ere long disrobe us all
Of what we now possess.

12. Amazing grace has set me free
To touch, to taste, to feel
The wonders of accepting love
Have made me whole and real.

13. The world shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun refuse to shine
But God, who called me here below
Shall be forever mine.

14. Shall I be carried to the sky,
On flowery beds of ease.
While others strive to win the prize,
And sail on bloody seas.

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Oct 06 - 07:48 AM

And then there's:


Amazing Grass

Amazing grass, how sweet the smell
That stoned a wretch like me
I once was straight, but now am stoned
So stoned that I can't see.

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: GUEST,David
Date: 21 Oct 06 - 02:59 PM

The verse "shall I be wafted to the skies" etc., appears in Tom Sawyer. Check it out at Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org)

Subject: Amazing Grace verse
From: GUEST,Screaming Eagle
Date: 21 Feb 08 - 05:21 PM

If you want to hear the Cajun French version, go see the movie 'Little Chenier'. As a whole the movie is a total misrepresentation of life in Acadiana but they do sing the Cajun French version. Made me squall like a baby girl.

La Grâce du Ciel est descendue
Me sauver de l'enfer.
J'étais perdue, je suis retrouvée,
Aveugle, et je vois clair.

Le Bon Dieu m'a ouvert le ciel.
Son Fils est mort pour moi.
C'est grâce à Jésus, mon sauveur,
Que j'ai reçu la foi.

Quand j'aurai chanté dix mille ans
Dans Sa chorale des Anges,
Je n'aurai fait que commencer
À chanter Ses louanges.

De tous les dangers de la vie,
La grâce est mon abri.
C'est cette même grâce qui m'amènera
Aux portes du paradis.

TRANSLATION:

La Grâce du Ciel
Les Amies Louisianaises
(Amazing Grace) (Traditional, French words by D. Marcantel)
Musique Acadienne Pub. Co. BMI and Pocahontas Music BMI

Grace from heaven came down
And saved me from hell
I was lost, I am found
Blind, and I see clearly

God opened heaven for me
His Son died for me
It is thanks to Jesus, my Savior
That I received faith

When I will have sung ten thousand years
In His choir of angels
I will only have begun
To sing his praises

From all the dangers of life
Grace is my shelter
It is this same grace which will lead me
To the gates of paradise.

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: GUEST,Samuel J. Hardman
Date: 28 Sep 18 - 12:12 AM

Concerning your No. 11: "As now we lay our garments down
Upon our beds to rest 'Though death ere long disrobe us all
Of what we now possess." Indeed, this is a splendid "Wandering Verse." When I published my book on Amazing Grace some years ago,
I was forced to reconstruct and correct this verse from fragments:

"As now we lay our garments by,
Upon the bed to rest,
So death erelong disrobes us all
Of what we now possess."

Samuel J. Hardman

Subject: ADD: Amazing Grace warmup verse
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Mar 21 - 07:58 PM

A good verse for a warmup exercise from Beth Wood:

Amazing voice
how sweet the sound
to hear each other sing
One day we'll be together again
What a joyful sound that will be

Subject: RE: Amazing Grace verse
From: Joe_F
Date: 29 Mar 21 - 10:50 PM

I've always liked the "we've been there ten thousand years" verse because it captures precisely the notion of an infinite set, which was long deemed absurd by many mathematicians: that it contained proper subsets that were as big as the set. Georg Cantor (who would probably have not felt at home in a Christian hymn) developed his theory of such sets starting with just that characteristic.