To God Be the Glory
Written 1875 by Fanny Crosby. Music by William Howard Doane. Public domain in all jurisdictions.
Verse 1
GTo God be the glory, great Cthings He hath Gtaught us
Great Gthings He hath done, and great Cwonders have D7wrought us
Great Gthings He hath showed us, what Cjoy to conGfess them
And Cgreat our reGjoicing thro' D7Jesus the GSon
Chorus
GPraise the Lord, praise the CLord,
Let the Gearth hear His D7voice
GPraise the Lord, praise the CLord,
Let the Gpeople reD7joice
O Gcome to the Father, through CJesus the GSon
And Cgive Him the Gglory, great D7things He hath Gdone
Verse 2
O Gperfect redemption, the Cpurchase of D7blood
To every beGliever the Cpromise of GGod
The Gvilest offender who Ctruly beGlieves
That Cmoment from GJesus a D7pardon reGceives
Verse 3
Great Gthings He hath taught us, great Cthings He hath D7done
And Ggreat our reCjoicing through GJesus the D7Son
But Gpurer and higher and Cgreater will Gbe
Our Cwonder, our Gtransport when D7Jesus we Gsee
Playing Tips
🎸 Strum Pattern — Verse
Strum gently on verse 1 to let the congregation settle in. Play one downstroke per beat and keep the volume low. Save the bigger strumming for the chorus.
On the chorus, open up to a fuller strum with emphasis on beats 2 and 4. This hymn has a natural march-like energy, so a strong downstroke on beat 1 keeps everyone in time.
🔊 Dynamics — Verse
Start verse 1 at medium volume. Let the energy build naturally through the verse, then bring the full band in on the chorus.
The chorus is a declaration, so encourage everyone to sing out on "Praise the Lord, praise the Lord." On the last line, drop the band slightly and let the congregation carry the vocals on "great things He hath done."
→ Transitions — Verse
Coming out of the last verse chord before the chorus, a short pause or drum fill before "Praise the Lord" creates great contrast and signals the congregation that the chorus is coming.
🎵 Band Direction
Keys: play a soft pad under the verses, then add a fuller chord voicing on the chorus. Bass: walk up from G to C at the chorus entrance to lift the energy. Drums: light sticks or brushes on the verse, full kit on the chorus.
🎤 Vocal
Key of G sits comfortably for most voices. Female lead works well here. The "Praise the Lord, praise the Lord" line in the chorus is great for call-and-response. Sing it once and give the congregation room to sing it back.