Lyrics: Fanny Crosby.
Music: REDEEMED by William J. Kirkpatrick.
Music courtesy of Friendship Baptist Church and Hymnary.org.
The tune I learned as an alternate for this hymn and the one I actually prefer is by A.L. Butler, and I learned it out of the 1975 Baptist Hymnal. It doesn’t seem to be very well known, but it’s the tune that loads into my right brain when ever I think of these lyrics. I have to dredge to come up with the primary tune, REDEEMED, even though we sang both at my church growing up. This guy, Jack Marti, sings almost all of the verses in a down-home, informal but tuneful rendition.
Theme:
Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.
Refrain:
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.
I think of my blessèd Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be.
I’m glad this Fanny Crosby hymn made the list. I think it’s my second favorite of her hymns, mostly because it’s so familiar and joyful and true. I AM redeemed through His infinite mercy, and His love is the theme of my song.
In my list, REDEEMED occurs 16 times, and ADA (the tune you prefer) only 7; I’m assuming ADA is what Mr Marti is singing it to. Of the seven hymnals that have ADA, five also have REDEEMED. And in all but one case, ADA has only three verses, while in every single one of the 16 cases REDEEMED has four verses. So I don’t have a single hymnal where all five verses are given, which (as a verse hog) I consider regrettable. Mr Marti sings all five, though not in the order you give them in (he inverts your vv. 3 & 4). It’s a good hymn, and I think I’ll call for it tomorrow evening.
Thanks for making the tune so easy to catch, as compared to the organ versions on the net!
Thanks for this! This tune is so singable and superior to the more traditional one.
My daughter Kelly used to play this song (the Butler tune) on the piano for me over and over. She passed away at 20 years old, in 2005. I still cannot hear this beautiful song without tears, but I know I will see her again in the resurrection.