O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing Lyrics Charles Wesley, 1740
6 verses, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Oh, for a thousand tongues, to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King
The triumphs of his grace.
Verse 2. My gracious Master, and my God,
Assist me to proclaim—
To spread, through all the earth abroad,
The honors of thy name.
Verse 3. Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.
Verse 4. He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the pris’ner free:
His blood can make the foulest clean—
His blood availed for me.
Verse 5. He speaks—and, list’ning to his voice
New life the dead receive;
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.
Verse 6. Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come;
And leap, ye lame, for joy.
Words copied from The Otterbein Hymnal (1892). They were published in 1740, 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 O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
Charles Wesley wrote this hymn in 1739 for Sunday, May 21, the first anniversary of his conversion on Pentecost. The original has eighteen stanzas. The seventh stanza became the first stanza most people sing today. Several scholars think the opening line may come from Peter Böhler, the German Moravian who mentored Wesley and spoke of wanting a thousand tongues to praise God.
A United Methodist source dates the hymn's first publication to the 1780 Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists. Wesley wrote it forty-one years earlier. Hymnary lists a text date of 1739.
The usual tune is AZMON. Carl G. Gläser wrote the melody in 1828, and Lowell Mason adapted it and first printed it in The Modern Psalmist in 1839. Mason later changed it from duple to triple meter. The United Methodist source says AZMON is the dominant tune for these words in mainline churches, and Hymnary calls it the preferred tune in the United States. Baptist Hymnal 1991 prints it in A flat major at number 216. Hymnary lists G major in several other hymnals, including Baptist Hymnal 2008, and a text reference of Psalm 35:28.
Hymnary gives Gläser's birth year as 1784 in one place and 1781 in another. Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology says Wesley may have written about 6,500 hymns.
Charles Wesley
1707-12-18 to 1788-03-29
Charles Wesley was born at Epworth Rectory, the youngest son and eighteenth child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. He studied at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, and became one of the first Oxford Methodists. He was ordained in 1735 and went to Georgia as secretary to General Oglethorpe. After his conversion in 1738 he worked with his brother John as an itinerant preacher, and from 1756 he focused on the Methodist societies in London and Bristol. He married Sarah Gwynne in 1749. He stayed loyal to the Church of England. Hymnary.org lists 2,474 texts under his name, and he died in London.
Carl G. Gläser
1784 to 1829
Carl Gotthelf Gläser was born at Weissenfels in Saxony and died at Barmen in 1829. He received his first musical training from his father and attended the St. Thomas school in Leipzig. In Barmen he taught voice, piano and violin and conducted chorale music. Hymnary's data gives his birth year as 1784, and its biography text gives 1781. He composed the melody that Lowell Mason adapted as AZMON, which went with Charles Wesley's O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing in American hymnals.
- UMC Discipleship Ministries: History of Hymns, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: AZMON (Gläser) , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: Baptist Hymnal 1991, number 216 , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: The United Methodist Hymnal, number 57 , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Psalm 35:28
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing videos
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O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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"O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing" by 250 Voice Mass Choir for Classic Hymns Album "Our God Reigns" Classic Hymns, Choir
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O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing - piano instrumental hymn Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing (feat. Shane & Shane) The Worship Initiative, Modern arrangement
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Print and project
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in G or A♭.
Questions people ask
Who wrote O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing?
Charles Wesley wrote it in 1739 for the first anniversary of his conversion. The original has eighteen stanzas, and the version sung today begins with the seventh.
What is the story behind O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing?
Wesley wrote it on May 21, 1739. Some scholars say the opening line comes from Peter Böhler, a Moravian friend who spoke of a thousand tongues to praise God.
What tune is used for O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing?
Most American hymnals use AZMON, a melody by Carl Gläser from 1828 adapted by Lowell Mason in 1839. Hymnary lists it in G major and A flat major.
Is O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing in the public domain?
Yes. Wesley wrote the words in 1739, and a United Methodist source dates their first publication in the Methodist collection to 1780. Both dates fall well before 1931, and the tune AZMON dates to 1828 and 1839.
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