Tell Me the Old, Old Story Katherine Hankey, 1866
4 verses and a refrain, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Tell me the old, old story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and his glory,
Of Jesus and his love.
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child,
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defil’d.
Refrain Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Of Jesus and his love.
Verse 2. Tell me the story slowly,
That I may take it in—
That wonderful redemption,
God’s remedy for sin!
Tell me the story often,
For I forget so soon!
The “early dew” of morning
Has pass’d away at noon!
Verse 3. Tell me the story softly,
With earnest tones and grave;
Remember! I’m the sinner
Whom Jesus came to save.
Tell me the story always,
If you would really be,
In any time of trouble,
A comforter to me.
Verse 4. Tell me the same old story,
When you have cause to fear
That this world’s empty glory
Is costing me too dear.
O yes, and when its glory
Is dawning on my soul,
Tell me the old, old story:
“Christ Jesus makes thee whole.”
Sing the refrain after every verse.
Words copied from New Baptist Hymnal (1926). They were published in 1866, 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 Tell Me the Old, Old Story
Katherine Hankey wrote Tell Me the Old, Old Story in 1866. A history from the United Methodist Church says she wrote a long poem on the life of Christ that year, at age 30, while she recovered from a lengthy illness. She published it in two parts, The Story Wanted in January 1866 and The Story Told in November 1866. Her other well-known hymn, I Love to Tell the Story, comes from the second part.
Hankey was born in Clapham, England, in 1834, the daughter of a wealthy banker, and was linked to the Clapham sect of evangelical Anglicans. She taught Bible classes for shop girls and used the money from her writing for missions. Hymnary lists three stanzas and a refrain for this hymn and finds it in 580 hymnals.
The usual tune is by William H. Doane. Hymnary dates the tune to 1869 on its tune page, though the text page gives no tune date. Many hymnals call it EVANGEL, and others use TELL ME or THE OLD STORY. Doane ran a woodworking machinery plant in Cincinnati and wrote more than 2,200 tunes. Hymnary lists the tune in C major in most books and B flat major in several others. One hymnal prints it in B flat minor.
Hymnary lists Scripture passages including John 3:16, Romans 3:24 and 1 John 4:19.
Katherine Hankey
1834 to 1911
Katherine Hankey was born in Clapham, England, in 1834 and died in Westminster, London, in 1911. She was the daughter of a wealthy banker and was linked to the Clapham sect of evangelical Anglicans. She taught Bible classes for shop girls, visited the sick and used the money from her writing for missions. In 1866, while recovering from a long illness, she wrote a poem on the life of Christ in two parts. Tell Me the Old, Old Story and I Love to Tell the Story both come from it. Hymnals give her name in several forms, including Kate and Arabella Katherine.
William H. Doane
1832-02-03 to 1915
William Howard Doane was born in Preston, Connecticut. He ran a large woodworking machinery plant in Cincinnati and led civic work there. He supported the evangelistic work of Dwight L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey and helped endow Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and Denison University in Granville, Ohio. He wrote more than 2,200 hymn and gospel song tunes and edited more than forty songbooks. His first Sunday school hymnbook, Sabbath Gems, appeared in 1861. He set many texts by Fanny J. Crosby, including To God Be the Glory.
- Hymnary.org: Tell Me the Old, Old Story (text) , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: Tell me the old, old story (Doane) , read 2026-10-16
- UMC Discipleship Ministries: History of Hymns, I Love to Tell the Story , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Tell Me the Old, Old Story
The Bible passages behind the words.
- John 3:16
- Romans 3:24
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
- 1 Timothy 1:15
- 1 John 4:19
Tell Me the Old, Old Story videos
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Tell me the old, old story Savedandkept, Congregation
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Tell Me The Old, Old Story : Gospel Hymn bibleguy, Congregation
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Tell Me the Old, Old Story (Presbyterian Hymnal #424) HymnSite, Instrumental
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Tell Me the Old, Old Story (Evangel) Andrew Remillard, Instrumental
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Tell Me The Old, Old Story Clovercroft Kids - Topic, Children
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Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in C or B♭.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Tell Me the Old, Old Story?
Katherine Hankey wrote it in 1866. She was 30 and recovering from a long illness.
When was Tell Me the Old, Old Story written?
Hymnary dates the text to 1866. Hankey published her long poem on the life of Christ in two parts, in January and November of that year.
Who wrote the tune for Tell Me the Old, Old Story?
William H. Doane wrote the usual tune, which many hymnals call EVANGEL. Hymnary dates it to 1869.
Is Tell Me the Old, Old Story in the public domain?
Yes. The words are public domain in the United States, first published in 1866. Doane's tune dates to 1869 and is public domain as well.
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