A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Original German text "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" and tune EIN FESTE BURG by Martin Luther (1529). English translation by Frederick H. Hedge (1853). Public domain in all jurisdictions.
Verse 1
GA might-y for-tress Dis our GGod
A Cbul-wark Gnev-er Dfail-Ging
Our Ghelp-er He a-Dmid the Gflood
Of Cmor-tal Gills pre-Dvail-Ging
For Dstill our an-cient Gfoe
Doth Dseek to work us Gwoe
His Ccraft and Gpow'r are Dgreat
And Carmed with cru-el Ghate
On Cearth is not his Ge-Dqual
Verse 2
GDid we in our own Dstrength con-Gfide
Our Cstriv-ing Gwould be Dlos-Ging
Were Gnot the right Man Don our Gside
The CMan of GGod's own Dchoos-Ging
Dost Dask who that may Gbe
Christ DJe-sus it is GHe
Lord CSa-ba-oth His Gname D
From Cage to age the Gsame D
And CHe must win the Gbat-Dtle
Verse 3
GAnd though this world with Ddev-ils Gfilled
Should Cthreat-en to Gun-Ddo Gus
We Gwill not fear for DGod hath Gwilled
His Ctruth to Gtri-umph Dthrough Gus
The Dprince of dark-ness Ggrim
We Dtrem-ble not for Ghim
His Crage we can en-Gdure D
For Clo his doom is Gsure D
One Clit-tle word shall Gfell Dhim
Verse 4
GThat Word a-bove all Dearth-ly Gpow'rs
No Cthanks to Gthem a-Dbid-Geth
The GSpi-rit and the Dgifts are Gours
Through CHim who Gwith us Dsid-Geth
Let Dgoods and kin-dred Ggo
This Dmor-tal life al-Gso
The Cbo-dy they may Gkill D
God's Ctruth a-bid-eth Gstill D
His Cking-dom is for-Gev-Der
Structure
Playing Tips
🎸 Strum Pattern — Verse
I play this with strong downstrokes on every beat — no upstrokes, no syncopation. The EIN FESTE BURG tune has a marching, fortress-like rhythm that calls for something bold and even. Think of it as a procession. When I strum this with the full weight of my right arm on every beat, the congregation stands up straighter. I have noticed it every time. The music is telling their bodies something their minds are still processing. Play it like a declaration.
🔊 Dynamics — Verse
We start verse 1 at full volume — this is not a song that builds up to something, it opens at the peak. "A mighty fortress is our God" is not a question; it is a statement we are making together. Verse 2 carries momentum. Verse 3 — "And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us" — is where I like to lean in even harder. By verse 4, "His kingdom is forever," I have sometimes heard the entire congregation singing louder than the band. Let that happen. Get out of the way and let the people proclaim it.
→ Transitions
No gap between verses — keep the tempo driving through. If you want to add something between verses, a single measure of the main riff in G is enough. We sometimes do a half-time feel on the last two lines of verse 4 — "His kingdom is forever" sung twice, slowing down on the second pass, then holding the final G chord until the room settles into silence. That is the only transition we ever really need.
🎵 Band Direction
Keys: full, rich voicings with both hands. This is one of the few hymns where I encourage the keys player to add a brief flourish entering verse 3 — something that underscores "we will not fear." Bass: strong root-note hits on the downbeats. Drums: this hymn asks for a powerful drum presence. Full kit, strong snare on 2 and 4, kick driving the pulse. If we have brass in our church, this is the song we call them in for — nothing sounds more like a fortress than horns on "A Mighty Fortress."
🎤 Vocal
Key of G is accessible for most congregations — the melody peaks around D4 which most voices handle easily. Male and female voices both sit comfortably here. Capo 2 gives you A if you want more brightness. I have also led it in the key of F (capo 10 in G shapes, or rework in F) for choirs that prefer a lower, more resonant range. Martin Luther wrote this during one of the darkest periods of the Reformation. He was a hunted man. When I remember that, I sing verse 4 — "let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also" — with a completely different kind of weight. Sharing that context before you sing it transforms the experience for your congregation.