The Old Rugged Cross
Written and composed by George Bennard (1912). First published 1913 by the composer. Public domain in all jurisdictions (published before 1928).
Verse 1
On a Ghill far a-way stood an Cold rug-ged Gcross
The em-Gblem of suf-f'ring and D7shame
And I Glove that old cross where the Cdear-est and Gbest
For a D7world of lost sin-ners was Gslain
Chorus
So I'll Gcher-ish the Cold rug-ged Gcross
Till my Gtro-phies at D7last I lay Gdown
I will Gcling to the Cold rug-ged Gcross
And ex-D7change it some-day for a Gcrown
Verse 2
Oh, that Gold rug-ged cross, so de-Cspised by the Gworld
Has a Gwon-drous at-trac-tion for D7me
For the Gdear Lamb of God left His Cglo-ry a-Gbove
To D7bear it to dark Cal-va-Gry
Verse 3
In that Gold rug-ged cross, stained with Cblood so di-Gvine
A won-Gdrous beau-ty I D7see
For 'twas Gon that old cross Je-sus Csuf-fered and Gdied
To D7par-don and sanc-ti-fy Gme
Verse 4
To the Gold rug-ged cross I will Cev-er be Gtrue
Its Gshame and re-proach glad-ly D7bear
Then He'll Gcall me some-day to my Chome far a-Gway
Where His D7glo-ry for-ev-er I'll Gshare
Structure
Playing Tips
🎸 Strum Pattern — Verse
This is a 3/4 waltz — one-two-three, one-two-three. The most natural strum is a single downstroke on beat 1, then a light down-up on beats 2 and 3 (down, down-up, down-up). Keep it flowing and unhurried. The waltz feel is part of the song's emotional texture. Fight the urge to flatten it into a 4/4 feel, which removes the gentle swaying quality that makes this hymn feel like it is carrying you forward.
On the chorus, open up the strum slightly and add emphasis on beat 1 of each measure. The chord changes are on "cherish," "cross," "trophies," and "down" — give each of those a satisfying landing. The melody lifts on "I will cling to the old rugged cross," so match that with a little extra energy in the strum.
🔊 Dynamics — Chorus
A dynamic shape that works well: verse 1 medium and reflective, chorus full and open, verse 2 slightly pulled back, chorus again fuller than before, verse 3 growing, verse 4 the biggest moment of the whole song — then the final chorus at full voice with the congregation. If you have harmonies, this is the moment to stack them. It almost always brings people to tears.
→ Transitions
Coming out of each verse into the chorus, use the last beat of the verse to breathe and prepare. The natural pickup into "So I'll cherish" is a dotted rhythm — do not clip it. Let the congregation breathe with you. If your drummer is playing, a light roll leading into the chorus entrance does the job perfectly.
🎵 Band Direction
Keys: a gentle arpeggiated left-hand pattern in 3/4 under the verse (root-fifth-third) fits beautifully. On the chorus, switch to full chord block playing to thicken the sound. Bass: follow the 3/4 feel with a strong root on beat 1 and a lighter fifth on beat 3. Drums: brushes on a snare or just a soft kick on beat 1 is more than enough. This hymn does not need a full groove — it needs space.
🎤 Vocal
Key of G sits in a mid-to-low range and works comfortably for both male and female voices. The highest note is on "so I'll cherish" and "I will cling," which is a D4 — very accessible for most singers. If your congregation tends to struggle with higher notes, keep it in G and do not capo. For a higher, brighter feel, try capo 2 (sounds in A) or capo 5 (sounds in C). One thing we always do with this hymn: before we play it, we share that George Bennard wrote this after a season of personal suffering and ridicule. He saw the cross as the one thing worth holding on to. When the congregation understands that, they sing it differently.