Tell Me the Old, Old Story
A hymn about the enduring freshness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In 1866, Katherine Hankey (1834-1911), daughter of an English banker, was recovering from a long and debilitating illness. Thankful for this answer to her prayers, she composed a long poem reflecting on the story of redemption. Within a year, the handful of verses given below had became a popular hymn, helped by a memorable musical setting by American inventor and choirmaster William Howard Doane.
TELL me the old, old story,
Of unseen things above —
Of Jesus and his glory,
Of Jesus and his love.
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Of Jesus and his love.
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless, and defiled.
Tell me the story slowly,
That I may take it in —
That wonderful Redemption,
God’s remedy for sin.
Tell me the story often,
For I forget so soon —
The early dew of morning
Has passed away at noon.
Tell me the story softly,
With earnest tones and grave
Remember, I’m the sinner
Whom Jesus came to save.
Tell me the story always,
If you would really be,
In any time of trouble,
A comforter to me.
Tell me the same old story
When you have cause to fear
That this world’s empty glory
Is costing me too dear.
Yes, and when that world’s glory
Shall dawn upon my soul,
Tell me the old, old story,
“Christ Jesus makes thee whole!”*
This is part of a longer poem. Read the whole poem at The Internet Archive.
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