Count Your Blessings
Text by Johnson Oatman Jr. (1897; 1856–1922). Tune BLESSINGS by Edwin O. Excell (1897; 1851–1921). Public domain in all jurisdictions.
Verse 1
When upGon life's billows you are D7tempest tossed,
When you are disGcouraged, thinking G7all is lost,
CCount your many blessings, name them Gone by one,
And it will surDprise you what the GLord hath D7done.
Chorus
GCount your blessings, name them D7one by one;
GCount your blessings, see what D7God hath done;
GCount your blessings, name them G7one by one;
CCount your many blessings, see what GGod hath D7done. G
Verse 2
Are you Gever burdened with a D7load of care?
Does the cross seem Gheavy you are G7called to bear?
CCount your many blessings, ev-ery Gdoubt will fly,
And you will be Dsinging as the Gdays go D7by.
Verse 3
So aGmid the conflict, whether D7great or small,
Do not be disGcouraged, God is G7over all;
CCount your many blessings, an-gels Gwill attend,
Help and Dcomfort give you to your Gjourney's D7end. G
Structure
Playing Tips
🎸 Strum Pattern
At 92 BPM in 4/4 this hymn has a bounce that invites a down-down-up-down-up strum — enough movement to carry the joyful energy without becoming frantic. The G7 before C in the verse is the harmonic lift that adds energy before the chorus — make sure it is voiced so the B-flat is heard as the pivot into C. The chorus itself is almost a call-and-response: "count your blessings" / "name them one by one." A slight gospel lilt or swing on the chorus gives the song life and invites the congregation to lean into the declaration.
🔊 Dynamics
Count Your Blessings is a hymn for discouraged congregations — Oatman wrote it specifically to counter the spirit of complaint, and it should be delivered with the conviction that gratitude genuinely changes how we see our situation. Start with moderate energy and let the chorus grow with each verse. By verse 3 the congregation should be fully engaged and the line "count your many blessings, angels will attend" deserves full-band energy behind it. The final G after D7 should land with confidence and joy — a declaration that you have counted and you know what you found.
🎵 Band Direction
The G7 chord in the verse is the harmonic trigger that pushes toward C — make sure the guitar voices it so the B-flat note is heard clearly. Piano is especially effective here because the gospel feel of the arrangement benefits from a bouncing right hand. If the room allows it, tambourine or handclap on the chorus adds congregational participation. Bass holds the root movement solidly on G-D7 throughout. This is one of the hymns where genuine energy in the band transfers directly to the congregation — play it with joy and they will sing it with joy.
🎤 Vocal
The melody of Count Your Blessings is one of the most immediately accessible in the hymn repertoire — congregations who have never seen the words still know the melodic outline from childhood. The lead vocalist's job is to model the theology of gratitude through delivery, not just lyrics. On the verse lines about burden and discouragement ("when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost") the delivery should acknowledge the weight before the chorus turns it. The chorus "count your blessings, name them one by one" should feel like an invitation to look up, not a command to perform.
→ Transitions
We use Count Your Blessings during seasons of congregational difficulty, on Thanksgiving Sundays, or whenever the preacher's message is about gratitude, contentment, or trusting God through hardship. It is also a wonderful opening song that sets a tone of conscious gratitude which frames everything that follows. After a period of church difficulty, illness, or community hardship, this hymn reminds the congregation that counting blessings is a spiritual discipline. Pair it with Great Is Thy Faithfulness for a two-song gratitude set that moves from the practice of gratitude to the declaration of God's faithfulness.