How Great Thou Art

The story of this hymn

Carl Boberg’s Swedish poem “O Store Gud” (1885) travelled through German and Russian before Stuart K. Hine gave it the English form the whole world now sings. It became one of the most requested funeral hymns of the twentieth century and has never let the position go.

Where it sits in the service

A tribute-adjacent hymn — often placed after the life story or eulogy, where its rising chorus lets a congregation answer grief with volume. Almost everyone knows it by heart, which is exactly why the words need not be printed.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Hymn — How Great Thou Art” with the leader or choir named beside it.

How it is actually sung

One of the best-known hymns in the world and a congregation will sing it without hesitation, which is exactly why families choose it. The refrain is what carries — “Then sings my soul” — and it lifts a room like almost nothing else. Four verses, usually all sung. It suits a service of thanksgiving and works at almost any point in the order.

Printing the words

Still in copyright, which is why this page describes it rather than printing the words. Most churches hold a CCLI licence that covers reprinting lyrics in an order of service — ask the church office whether this song is on theirs before printing the text. If not, print the title and the first line only, which is what most families do.

This is practical guidance rather than legal advice. Reproduction rights vary by territory, by hymnal edition and by the licence your church holds — the church office is the right place to ask, and they answer this question often.