Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior
Text by Fanny Crosby (1868). Music by William H. Doane (1870). Public domain in all jurisdictions.
Verse 1
GPass me not, O gen-tle DSav-ior, hear my Ghum-ble Ccry
GWhile on o-thers Thou art Dcall-ing, do not Gpass me Dby
Chorus
GSav-ior, Sav-ior, Chear my hum-ble Gcry
GWhile on o-thers Thou art Dcall-ing, do not Gpass me Dby
Verse 2
GLet me at Thy throne of Dmer-cy find a Gsweet re-Clief
GKneel-ing there in deep con-Dtri-tion, help my un-beGlief
Verse 3
GTrust-ing on-ly in Thy Dmer-it, would I Gseek Thy Cface
GHeal my wound-ed, bro-ken Dspi-rit, save me by Thy Ggrace
Verse 4
GThou the Spring of all my Dcom-fort, more than Glife to Cme
GWhom have I on earth be-Dside Thee, whom in heav'n but GThee
Structure
Playing Tips
🎸 Strum Pattern — Verse
Pass Me Not is a gentle hymn of personal prayer in 4/4 at 76 BPM. We use a soft down-up pattern on each beat, keeping the strum relaxed and unhurried. The G to D movement throughout the verse is smooth and forgiving for beginner guitarists. Keep your strumming arm loose.
🔊 Dynamics — Chorus
The chorus "Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry" is a repeated plea for God's attention. We keep the dynamics gentle throughout both verse and chorus. This is not a loud hymn. It is a quiet, intimate request. The power is in the sincerity of the text, not the volume of the band.
🎵 Band Direction
Piano and acoustic guitar work well together for this hymn. We play it with minimal percussion, often just a cajon with soft hand-taps on beats 2 and 4. The bass can follow the root notes with a simple quarter-note pattern. Avoid anything that adds heaviness to what is meant to be a tender song.
🎤 Vocal
Key of G is comfortable for this hymn. The melody stays in the lower-mid range and is easy for most voices to follow. The chorus phrase is simple and repetitive enough that the congregation will know it by the second verse. A female lead works particularly well with the humble character of the text.
→ Transitions
We play the chorus after each verse without a gap. The four verses and recurring chorus create a natural pattern that the congregation follows easily. After verse 4, we sometimes repeat the chorus a second time, softening the volume each time until just voices remain on the final line.