Hymns and Tunes 1886 121
The head that once was crowned with thorns
Words: Thomas KellyC.M.
1The head that once was crowned with thorns
Is crowned with glory now;
A royal diadem adorns
The mighty Victor's brow.
2The highest place that heaven affords
Is his by sovereign right;
The King of kings, and Lord of lords,
He reigns in glory bright.
3The joy of all who dwell above,
The joy of all below,
To whom he manifests his love,
And grants his name to know.
4To them the cross, with all its shame,
With all its grace, is given;
Their name—an everlasting name,
Their joy—the joy of heaven.
5To them the cross is life and health,
Though shame and death to him;
His people's hope, his people's wealth,
Their everlasting theme.
- Words
- Thomas Kelly
- Meter
- C.M.
- Scripture
- Hebrews 2:9; Philippians 2:9-11
Public Domain
The verse
- Meter
- 8.6.8.6 · as printed
- Foot
- iambic (da-DUM) · 92% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- ABAB
Could also be sung to Azmon, Coronation, Ortonville, Cantate Domino, Christmas · same meter and stresses; not printed with these words, so try it first.
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary · * a word sung short, as “heav’n”
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Verse 5
Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.