Blest Be the Tie That Binds Lyrics John Fawcett, 1782
6 verses, meter S.M., public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love!
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
Verse 2. Before our Father’s throne,
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
Our comforts and our cares.
Verse 3. We share our mutual woes;
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.
Verse 4. When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.
Verse 5. This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.
Verse 6. From sorrow, toil, and pain,
And sin we shall be free;
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.
Words copied from The Otterbein Hymnal (1892). They were published in 1782, 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 Blest Be the Tie That Binds
John Fawcett's hymn first appeared in his Hymns Adapted to the Circumstances of Public Worship and Private Devotion in 1782. It had six stanzas. Hymnals now print four and use the last as a benediction. The usual story ties it to a decision Fawcett made around 1771 or 1772. After John Gill died, the Baptist church at Carter Lane in London offered Fawcett its pulpit. Fawcett was pastor at Wainsgate in Yorkshire, where he began preaching in December 1763. He prepared to leave, then chose to stay. A biography published in 1818 tells the story of that decision. The Hymnology Archive says the link between that episode and the hymn is an interpretation, since the archive finds no independent source for it. The Wainsgate Chapel history also gives no documentary evidence. Fawcett moved to Ebenezer Chapel in Hebden Bridge in 1777 and served there until he died in 1817. Several tunes carry the words. Thomas Walker's VERMONT, in John Rippon's tune book, is the earliest printing with music. Lowell Mason's BOYLSTON first appeared in The Choir in 1832. DENNIS, credited to Hans Georg Nägeli in Mason's Psaltery of 1845, has been paired with the text since the 1870s or earlier. The United Methodist Hymnal prints DENNIS in F.
John Fawcett
1739 to 1817
John Fawcett was a Baptist minister in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Most sources give his birth as 6 January 1739 near Bradford, and a local history of Wainsgate gives 1740. He first preached at Wainsgate Baptist Church in December 1763 and became its pastor. After John Gill died in 1771 he was offered the Carter Lane pulpit in London and nearly left, then stayed. In 1777 he moved to Ebenezer Chapel, Hebden Bridge, where he served until his death in 1817. He trained ministers at Ewood Hall from 1798. His Hymns Adapted to the Circumstances of Public Worship and Private Devotion came out in 1782.
- Hymnology Archive, Blest be the tie that binds , read 2026-10-16
- Wainsgate Chapel, John Fawcett , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, United Methodist Hymnal 557, Blest Be the Tie That Binds , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Blest Be the Tie That Binds
The Bible passages behind the words, with the verse of the hymn that draws on each.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:8 In verse 8 of the hymn
- 1 John 4
- Philippians 2
Blest Be the Tie That Binds videos
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Blest Be the Tie That Binds Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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Blest Be The Tie That Binds; First Methodist Houston, 1/15/2023 Panoplyimaging, Congregation
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Blest Be the Tie that Binds (a cappella) - CCS 325 - The Beyond the Walls Choir Centre Place, A cappella
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Blest Be the Tie That Binds Praise and Harmony Loving God. For more, www.praiseandharmony.com The Acappella Company, A cappella
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Blest Be the Tie that Binds - piano instrumental hymn 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.
Downloads, printing and slides
Sheet music files
- Sheet music PDF 87 KB. Words and all four parts, ready to print.
- Lead sheet PDF 82 KB. Melody, words and chord symbols for piano or guitar.
- MusicXML score XML 43 KB. Opens in MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius and Dorico to change the key or print parts.
- MIDI, all parts MIDI 1 KB. Plays the four-part harmony in any MIDI player or notation app.
- MIDI, melody only MIDI 1 KB. The tune alone, for learning it.
Practice tracks for each voice part, as MIDI: Alto , Tenor , Bass .
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in F.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Blest Be the Tie That Binds?
John Fawcett, a Baptist pastor in Yorkshire, wrote it. It first appeared in his hymn book of 1782.
Did Fawcett write Blest Be the Tie when he nearly left his church?
The story is old and widely told, but the Hymnology Archive treats it as an interpretation. It cites an 1818 biography for the decision to stay at Wainsgate and finds no document that links the hymn to it.
What tune is used for Blest Be the Tie That Binds?
DENNIS is the tune in the United Methodist Hymnal, and BOYLSTON by Lowell Mason and VERMONT are also used. Hymnals credit DENNIS to Hans Georg Nägeli.
Is Blest Be the Tie That Binds in the public domain?
The words are public domain in the United States. Fawcett first published them in 1782. The tunes DENNIS, BOYLSTON and VERMONT are all older than 1931.
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