Amazing Grace
UK 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.
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
History and Meaning
A Christian hymn published in 1779, with words written by English poet and Anglican clergyman John Newton. Newton wrote the lyrics in 1772 after his remarkable spiritual transformation from being a slave ship captain to becoming a devoted Christian minister, with the song reflecting his personal journey of redemption following a life-threatening storm at sea in 1748. He later became a vocal abolitionist, publicly condemning the slave trade in his 1788 book and becoming an ally to William Wilberforce in the parliamentary campaign to abolish slavery.