Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” is a hymn of longing and grace. It’s a prayer set to music — a quiet request for God to keep our hearts near to Him. With poetic language and honest confession, this hymn captures what many believers feel: a deep love for Christ and a constant need for His help to stay close.

The Story Behind the Hymn

The hymn was written in 1758 by Robert Robinson, a 22-year-old preacher who had come to faith after living a reckless early life. After his conversion, Robinson penned this hymn as a reflection of both God’s mercy and his own tendency to wander. It first appeared in a collection called A Collection of Hymns Used by the Church of Christ in Angel Alley.

The most familiar melody used today is an American folk tune known as Nettleton. Its gentle, flowing rhythm pairs beautifully with Robinson’s words, making the hymn both peaceful and heartfelt. Over the centuries, it has become one of the most loved hymns in the Christian world.

What Makes It Powerful

This hymn is powerful because of its honesty. It praises God for His blessings and grace, but it also admits weakness — “prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.” That line alone has resonated with generations of believers who know what it means to drift and to be drawn back by mercy.

A verse that matches the heart of this hymn is Psalm 86:11 (NIV):

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

This hymn is that exact prayer — “bind my wandering heart to Thee.”

My Violin Cover

When I arranged “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” for violin, I wanted to let the melody feel like a personal prayer. The tune is flowing and reflective, so I kept the pacing natural, giving space between phrases to let the beauty and longing of the song come through.

With Violin Hymns, I aim to express the heart of each song — and this one carries both gratitude and quiet dependence. It’s not flashy. It’s steady, like grace itself.

Listen and Reflect

The video is below. As you listen, let this hymn become your own prayer. Whether you feel near or far from God right now, His grace is still drawing you. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing — tune my heart to sing Thy grace.

Lyrics

Come, thou Fount of every blessing;

tune my heart to sing thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above;

praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

mount of God’s unchanging love!

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

hither by thy help I’m come;

and I hope, by thy good pleasure,

safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

wandering from the fold of God;

he, to rescue me from danger,

interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace now, like a fetter,

bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

prone to leave the God I love;

here’s my heart; O take and seal it;

seal it for thy courts above.