Release Date: November 21, 2025Public Domain Source

Released a second time March 27, 2026. The "New Britain" tune was paired with these words later by William Walker (1835); the tune's own authorship is disputed between sources — see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Britain_(tune) and coverSongSources.ts.

Original Recording

SongwriterJohn Newton (words, 1772)
Original Release Date1772 (written); published 1779 in Olney Hymns
Release Typehymn
Original Song →

Newton wrote the words in late 1772, first used at an Olney, Buckinghamshire prayer meeting Jan 1, 1773; published 1779 in Olney Hymns (with William Cowper). The now-standard "New Britain" tune was paired with Newton's text later, by William Walker in The Southern Harmony (1835) — its own authorship is disputed between sources (Wikipedia describes it as an anonymous 1829 compilation of two earlier melodies; other sources credit James P. Carrell and David L. Clayton, 1831, standardized by Edwin O. Excell in 1900). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Britain_(tune). All variants are public domain.

Spotify/Apple Music/YouTube listening links for this cover aren't published here yet — pending real per-song streaming URLs, not fabricated placeholders.

← The Old Rugged CrossHow Great Thou Art →