Hymns and Tunes 1886 96
Help, O God, my weak endeavor
Words: Francis Scott KeyTune: 503, 499, 406
1Help, O God, my weak endeavor;
This dull soul to rapture raise;
Thou must light the flame, or never
Can my love be warmed to praise.
2Praise, my soul, the God that sought thee,
Wretched wanderer, far astray;
Found thee lost, and kindly brought thee
From the paths of death away.
3Praise the grace whose threats alarmed thee,
Roussed thee from thy fatal ease;
Praise the grace whose promise warmed thee,
Praise the grace that whispers peace.
4Lord, this bosom's ardent feeling
Vainly would my lips express;
Low before thy footstool kneeling,
Deign thy suppliant's prayer to bless.
5Let thy grace, my soul's chief treasure,
Love's pure flame within me raise;
And, since words can never measure,
Let my life show forth thy praise.
- Words
- Francis Scott Key
- Tune
- 503, 499, 406
Public Domain
The verse
- Meter
- 8.7.8.7
- Foot
- trochaic (DUM-da) · 72% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- ABAB
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary
Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
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.