Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Original German text by Joachim Neander (1680). English translation by Catherine Winkworth (1863). Traditional German melody (Lobe den Herren). Public domain in all jurisdictions.
Verse 1
DPraise to the GLord, the AlDmigh-ty, the AKing of creDa-tion
DO my soul, Gpraise Him, for DHe is thy Ahealth and salDva-tion
DAll ye who Ghear, now to DHis tem-ple draw Anear
DPraise Him in Gglad a-dorAa-tion
Verse 2
DPraise to the GLord, who o'er Dall things so Awon-drous-ly Dreign-eth
DShel-ters thee Gun-der His Dwings, yea, so Agen-tly susDtain-eth
DHast thou not Gseen how thy Dde-sires e'er have Abeen
DGrant-ed in Gwhat He orAdain-eth
Verse 3
DPraise to the GLord, who doth Dpros-per thy Awork and deDfend thee
DSure-ly His Ggood-ness and Dmer-cy here Adai-ly atDtend thee
DPon-der aGnew what the DAl-migh-ty can Ado
DWho with His Glove doth beAfriend thee
Verse 4
DPraise to the GLord, O let Dall that is Ain me aDdore Him
DAll that hath Glife and breath, Dcome now with Aprais-es beDfore Him
DLet the AGmen sound from DHis peo-ple aAgain
DGlad-ly forGaye we aAdore Him
Structure
Playing Tips
🎸 Strum Pattern — Verse
Praise to the Lord is in 3/4 with a strong march-like feel at 88 BPM. We strum one full downstroke on beat 1 and lighter strokes on beats 2 and 3. The D to G chord movement throughout the verse is smooth and familiar, so let the congregation settle into the rhythm quickly on verse 1.
🔊 Dynamics
We build this hymn from moderate to full over the four verses. Start with acoustic guitar and vocals on verse 1. Add keys on verse 2. Bring in bass and light percussion on verse 3. On verse 4, which is a call for all creation to adore God, bring everything in for a full, joyful close.
🎵 Band Direction
Piano or organ works naturally with this hymn's German melody roots. The chord movement is largely D, G, and A with some D7 and E7 color chords. A steady bass line on the root of each chord keeps things grounded. Drums with brushes on verses 1 and 2, sticks from verse 3 onward.
🎤 Vocal
Key of D is the standard for this hymn and most voices handle it well. The melody lands on the D note on the final word of each verse phrase, which feels natural and resolving for congregational singing. If you need a lower key, C works and the chord shapes remain mostly beginner-friendly.
→ Transitions
We connect the verses with a short two-bar turnaround rather than stopping. In 3/4 time, a simple D to A to D tag keeps the energy moving without adding complexity. Verse 4 ends with "Gladly for aye we adore Him" and we let that final D chord ring out longer than usual before closing.