Lyrics
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.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
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.
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 first begun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun,
begun, begun, begun, begun, begun.
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
Amazing Grace traces a movement from spiritual ruin to rescue through grace. Its best-known opening contrasts being lost with being found and blindness with sight, giving simple language to conversion and restored perception. The following stanza places enduring hope in the promise of the Lord, presenting God as both shield and portion throughout mortal life. Rather than celebrating human achievement, the hymn consistently locates salvation, security, and praise in divine mercy.
The later verses face death without surrendering hope. Failing flesh gives way to anticipated joy and peace, while the final image of ten thousand years portrays praise as inexhaustible rather than diminished by time. Several lines closely reflect biblical themes: the lost being found recalls the parables in Luke 15, restored sight echoes the language of John 9, and the Lord as portion appears in Psalm 73. The hymn therefore joins confession, assurance, and eternal worship in a compact testimony to grace that saves and sustains.
Related Scripture
- Luke 15:24 The father says that the one who was lost has been found.
- John 9:25 The healed man testifies that he was blind and now can see.
- Psalm 73:26 The psalm names God as strength and portion even when flesh and heart fail.