Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Music Lyrics 18. And today it's the song "Amazing Grace. "
We're going explain the lyrics to this song originally written by John Newton.
Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. This song is about John Newton's
personal thanks to God who he believes saved him by helping him survive a
life-threatening storm at sea. So he was a sailor. Yeah. I remember reading about
this. He was a sailor at sea and there was a bad storm and they all thought
they were going to die. I think him and another sailor went up to the top to try
to stop and the other sailor it got pulled away with the waves and never seen again.
And he had to hold himself on you know, to the wheel. The wheel to stir the boat
to steer the boat for I think 11 hours. He practically had to tie himself to the
boat. And of course at this time he was asking God to save him. So this was his
experience this is what ended up being a life-changing experience for him. So
let's continue here. So it was a life-changing experience that helped him
go from being a profane ill-mannered slave trading sailor. Well profane you
know, he did a lot of bad things. He well first of all he probably cursed a lot.
Maybe cursed God you know , used the Lord's name in vain. He did many terrible things
I think they said even for a rough sailor, other sailors were still shocked
by him. That his behavior had gotten so bad at one point. So ill-mannered bad
slave trading. So he was actually way back in the day when there was slave
trades and he was a sailor on one of those slave trading boats. So anyway he
changed from being that sort of a person to a devout follower of God. Yeah
from from researching what I found out is of course he his mother did teach him
some religion when he was young , but then his mother died. And his father was a
sailor and his father was away all the time and then he eventually became a
sailor himself. And so of course he completely
you know, fell away from the religion completely .
And of course he had this life-changing experience where he he believed that God
was the one that saved him that night. That gave him the strength to hold on
and you know for 11 hours straight and tying himself in trying to control that
wheel where he saved himself and the rest of the crew that was still alive. So
basically that's what did it. Anyway, later on of course he ended up becoming
a preacher. I think a Protestant preacher himself or so he you know after he
stopped being a salad he went and you know he yea became a preacher. Okay. So
let's continue. Anyway just like usual let's get into it. Let's start singing it
and explain the lyrics as we go along. Well even, even the title here.
Remembers Amazing Grace. If we say something is amazing it's surprising and
impressive. All right. Grace has a slightly different
meaning here than we usually hear. It's kind of like a religious meaning of
grace which means according to religious belief the love and kindness that God
gives to people. That's what we mean by grace. That's well we often hear somebody say
you know, by the grace of God. You know, something something happened the
goodness or kindness of God . So that's what that's what the title is about.
'Amazing Grace.' Well so anyway, let's get into it.
Here it goes. Amazing grace, How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I
once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see. All right. Again,
we already explained Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch. Well
he's calling himself a wretch because that's what he thought he was. He thought he was
a bad person. He thought he was a sinner. He did a lot of terrible things and
that's why in some ways he couldn't believe that you know, maybe God would
help, help save him. that he didn't deserve
it. So that's what that's what that line is about. That saved a wretch like me. I
once was lost. All right. What does he mean by lost ? We can have a couple of meanings
here. It could be spiritually or physically
doomed because you know, he was a bad person or at least he thought he was. Or
unable to understand something you could be lost in that way. So when he says I
once was lost, but now I'm found meaning well of course you know he's
seen what he believes is the right way. He returned to his religion basically. So
he's found again you know, he's on the right path. That's what he means. Yes. I'm
found, was blind but now I see. So obviously, all the years that he thought
he was a wretch or a bad person. That's what he believed he was blind he
couldn't see the right way. So but now he can see. All right. Let's continue. 'Twas
grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did
that grace appear the hour I first believed.
All right. So 'twas grace was grace. Well again back to the same meaning here of
grace. The religious meaning of grace which is a loving kindness of God. So, so
;'twas grace that made by heart to fear. If you're a bad person and you think you're
bad and doing a lot of bad things. And you realize that you know maybe
you know you're following the wrong path. You might be afraid. But at the same time
he says and grace my fears relieved. So once he you know he returned to the
religion he he he felt like he was doing the right thing again. How precious did
that grace appear the hour I first believed. So once he first, once he was
really... when he thought he was saved and he started to become religious and he , he
started to feel better right away. That's what he's saying.
Okay. Now let's continue. Through many dangers , toils, and snares. I have already
come. All right. Danger and dangerous times. Toils here we say toil,
difficult to tiring work. Really, really hard work like sometimes you can't think
how can I just take all this hard work. Well there's trouble in life. And snares
Snares of course can mean a trap or a trick somebody trapped you, caught you,
enslaved you, something like that. So a snare trap or trick. Snares I've already
come. 'twas Grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home. So
again, he feels like he found the way. He feels like you found this grace the
grace of God or whatever. So that he feels like he's on the right path again.
Okay and then of course he goes on it Probably repeats the, the chorus
again. You know . Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I
once was lost but now I'm found , was blind but now I see. All right, and then
it goes into pretty much the last chorus here. It says, When we've been there ten
thousand years bright shining as the Sun. We've no less days to sing
God's praise than when we first begun. Yeah. I think he actually wrote this because
he was trying to it was actually for a sermon to inspire his people and he
thought of his own story and that's when he brought this out. And of course this
this song has been recorded by many, many almost countless amounts of famous
singers. And I just name a few here. So let's continue here. Tthe song has been
recorded by numerous famous artists such as Diana Ross, the three tenors, remember
like Pavarotti, Julio Iglesias and the other guy. Whitney Houston, Celine
Dion you know , etc . oh I'm I skipped some here Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin,
Willie Nelson, LeAnn Rimes. She did a very good version of it. and Whitney Houston's
version is also very, very good. Anyway, not only that though. We say here the
song is also thought of as an anthem to the civil rights movement. So during the
civil rights movement when Martin Luther King this song was very very big and it
was actually even sung before his you know, " I have a dream speech. "
So it's also connected to many events that happened. It was sung before and
after many great events it was sung before and after MLK Martin Luther
King's I gave I have a dream speech, the freeing of Nelson Mandela , when the
people in South Africa we were rejoicing, they were singing this song. The fall of
the Berlin Wall, When the Berlin Wall finally fell down
it was played then at that time too. After 9/11 as well all in in comfort
like to comfort the people and you know in a way of giving thanks or giving
thanks to God. So it's very interesting. Even if, even if you're not religious.
It's it's got a very beautiful or Angelic Sort of a hymn and tuned to it.
So it always be good to check it out probably you might already even be
familiar with with the flow of the music or the hymn of
the music. Anyway, I hope you got it. I hope it was enjoyable. Thank you for your
time. Bye-bye.