Scripture Verse

It is I; be not afraid. John 6:20

Introduction

Words: Fran­ces R. Ha­ver­gal, May 7, 1873. First ap­peared in Home Words the same year.

Music: Ew­ing Al­ex­an­der Ew­ing, 1853 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Ew­ing (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Frances R. Havergal (1836–1879)

Lyrics

I could not do with­out Thee
O Sav­ior of the lost,
Whose pre­cious blood re­deemed me
At such tre­men­dous cost.
Thy right­eous­ness, Thy par­don
Thy pre­cious blood, must be
My on­ly hope and com­fort,
My glo­ry and my plea.

I could not do with­out Thee,
I can­not stand alone,
I have no strength or good­ness,
No wis­dom of my own;
But Thou, be­lov­èd Sav­ior,
Art all in all to me,
And per­fect strength in weak­ness
Is theirs who lean on Thee.

I could not do with­out Thee,
For, oh, the way is long,
And I am oft­en wea­ry,
And sigh re­plac­es song.
How could I do with­out Thee?
I do not know the way;
Thou know­est, and Thou lead­est,
And wilt not let me stray.

I could not do with­out Thee,
O Je­sus, Sav­ior dear!
E’en when my eyes are hold­en,
I know that Thou art near.
How drea­ry and how lone­ly
This change­ful life would be,
Without the sweet com­mun­ion,
The sec­ret rest with Thee.

I could not do with­out Thee!
No oth­er friend can read
The spir­it’s strange deep long­ings,
Interpreting its need;
No hu­man heart could en­ter
Each dim re­cess of mine,
And soothe, and hush, and calm it,
O bless­èd Lord, but Thine.

I could not do with­out Thee,
For years are fleet­ing fast,
And soon in so­lemn lone­ness
The ri­ver must be passed;
But Thou wilt ne­ver leave me,
And though the waves roll high,
I know Thou wilt be near me,
And whis­per, It is I.