At the Cross Lyrics Isaac Watts; refrain by Ralph E. Hudson, 1885
4 verses and a refrain, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Alas! and did my Savior bleed?
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
Refrain 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 had done,
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
Verse 3. Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut His glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
For man the creature’s sin.
Verse 4. 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.
Sing the refrain after every verse.
Words copied from Gospel Hymns and Songs (1918). They were published in 1885, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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The story behind At the Cross
Isaac Watts wrote the words in 1707 for his first hymn book, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. He titled the poem "Godly Sorrow arising from the Sufferings of Christ" and opened it with the line "Alas! and did my Savior bleed." Watts marked the second stanza as optional, and most hymnals drop it. Many hymnals also change "God" to "Christ" in the third stanza.
Most Baptists know the hymn with a refrain and the title "At the Cross." Hymnary.org credits Ralph E. Hudson with adding the refrain and the tune HUDSON, published in 1885. The Hymnology Archive tells it differently. It says the author of the refrain words is unknown and that the refrain melody traces to a secular song, "Take Me Home," from 1853. Hermann L. Schreiner reworked that song in 1864, and Salvation Army members adapted it into a Christian refrain in the early 1880s. Sources disagree on who made the refrain, so this page credits Hudson only for the tune and the 1885 setting.
Before Hudson's setting, congregations sang the Watts text to MARTYRDOM. That tune began as a Scottish folk melody. Hugh Wilson shaped it around 1800, and Robert A. Smith published the triple-meter version in 1825. Hymnary.org counts the hymn in about 2,634 hymnals and says congregations sing it most often in Lent and Holy Week.
Isaac Watts
1674-07-17 to 1748-11-25
Isaac Watts was born in Southampton, England, on July 17, 1674, the son of a schoolmaster. He became a Nonconformist minister in London and lived his last years at Stoke Newington. His Hymns and Spiritual Songs first appeared in 1707 with 210 hymns, and a larger second edition followed in 1709. The Psalms of David Imitated came out in 1719. Counts of his hymns vary. Hutchins says more than 800, and Julian lists 454 hymns and psalm versions still in common use. Watts died on November 25, 1748, and was buried at Bunhill Fields in London.
Ralph E. Hudson
1843 to 1901
Ralph E. Hudson was born in Napoleon, Ohio, and served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He taught for five years at Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio, then founded his own publishing company there. He was a strong prohibitionist and published The Temperance Songster in 1886. Hudson compiled several song collections, including Songs of Peace, Love and Joy (1885), where the tune HUDSON appeared with the refrain for "At the Cross." Sources disagree on who wrote the refrain words and melody, and the Hymnology Archive credits its melody to older songs.
- Hymnary.org: Alas, and did my Savior bleed , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnology Archive: Alas! and did my Saviour bleed , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: HUDSON (Hudson) , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: MARTYRDOM (Wilson) , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in At the Cross
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Mark 15:33-34
- Isaiah 53
- Romans 5:6-12
- Galatians 2:20
- 1 Peter 2:21-25
At the Cross videos
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At The Cross • Congregational Daniel Baptist, Congregation
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At The Cross (Hymn 284) | Grace Community Church Congregation & Orchestra Hymns of Grace, Congregation
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At The Cross - Gracias Choir Gracias Choir, Choir
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Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed? (6 verses!!) - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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At the Cross (Alas and Did My Savior Bleed) - piano instrumental hymn with lyrics Kaleb Brasee, Piano
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Print and project
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in E♭, E or F.
Questions people ask
Who wrote the hymn At the Cross?
Isaac Watts wrote the words in 1707 under the title "Godly Sorrow arising from the Sufferings of Christ." Ralph E. Hudson's setting, with the refrain, is the version known as At the Cross.
Is At the Cross the same as Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed?
Yes. Watts's first line is "Alas, and did my Savior bleed," and the refrain gave the hymn its second title. A modern worship song by Reuben Morgan and Darlene Zschech shares the name At the Cross and is a different song.
What tunes go with this hymn?
The refrain version uses HUDSON, published in 1885. The Watts text alone is often sung to MARTYRDOM, a Scottish tune from about 1800.
Is At the Cross in the public domain?
Yes. The words are public domain in the United States. Watts published them in 1707, and the refrain and the tune HUDSON date to 1885.
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