At the Cross | Songs and Everlasting Joy

Isaac Watts wrote the verses for this very famous hymn in 1707. When Ralph Hudson created the tune, he also composed the chorus. It has been discovered that he adapted a very common song of the time into the chorus melody.

In the lyrics of the verses, Isaac Watts expresses his amazement and gratitude at a sacrifice for someone so low as himself. Originally, the first verse read, "Would He devote that sacred head, for such a worm as I?" Many alterations have been made by editors over the years since. Regardless of this, it is a hymn that has uplifted many people since it was written and continues to bless us and draw us to the ultimate sacrifice made for our lives.

At the Cross

Verse 1
Alas! and did my Saviour bleed,
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For someone such as I?

Chorus
At the cross, at the cross,
Where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away;
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

Verse 2
Was it for crimes that I have done,
He suffered on the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Verse 3
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
’Tis all that I can do!