Hymns and Tunes 1886 362
Lord, we are vile, and full of sin
774, 28, 374
1Lord, we are vile, and full of sin,
We're born unholy and unclean;
Sprung from the man whose guilty fall
Corrupts his race and taints us all.
2Soon as we draw our infant breath
The seeds of sin grow up for death;
Thy law demands a perfect heart,
But we're defiled in every part.
3Behold, we fall before thy face;
Our only refuge is thy grace:
No outward forms can make us clean;
The leprosy lies deep within.
4Nor bleeding bird, nor bleeding beast,
Nor hyssop branch, nor sprinkled priest,
Nor running brook, nor flood, nor sea,
Can wash the dismal stain away.
- Meter
- 774, 28, 374
- Scripture
- Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23
Public Domain
The verse
- Meter
- 8.8.8.8 · the hymnal prints 774, 28, 374
- Foot
- iambic (da-DUM) · 62% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- AABC
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary
Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
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.