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Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy
Public Domain hymn; Words by Joseph Hart, 1759; Tune Traditional- William Walker
ARTIST: As sung by Rev. Harold E. Hunter, Eldorado Springs, Missouri on October 7, 1958
SHEET MUSIC:
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
DATE: 1759
RECORDING INFO: Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy
Sm - Go Tell Aunt Rhody/Rhodie
Hall, Mrs. Frances. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume IV, Religous Songs and Others, Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p 61/#623 [1926/07/06] (Come, Ye Sinners)
OTHER NAMES: "Come, Ye Sinners"
RELATED TO: "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" melody
SOURCES: Folk Index; Meade
NOTES: "Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy" appears in the Southern Harmony with music by William Walker (1809-1875). The lyrics are from Joseph Hart (Hymns Composed on Various Subjects) in 1759.
One version of the tune has often known as "Greenville" or "Rousseau's Dream" and was published as a piano piece in 1818. This version is asl ousaed for the folk song "Go Tell Aunt Rhody." It was collected from Mrs. Frances Hall by Vance Randolph (Ozark Folksongs. Volume IV, Religous Songs and Others, Univ. of Missouri) in 1946.
COME, YE SINNERS, POOR AND NEEDY- William Walker (1809-1875)
Words: Joseph Hart, Hymns Composed on Various Subjects, 1759, alt.; refrain anonymous. Music: Restoration, from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, by William Walker (New York: Hastings House, 1835). Alternate tune: Beach Spring, from Sacred Harp, by Benjamin F. White, 1844
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power.
Refrain: I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Refrain
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.
Refrain
View Him prostrate in the garden;
On the ground your Maker lies.
On the bloody tree behold Him;
Sinner, will this not suffice?
Refrain
Lo! th’incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood:
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
Refrain
Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
Refrain
From Mudcat Discussion Forum (Rich): Randolph discusses several other authors' comments about the origin of the tune. Jackson ("White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands") says the tune was often known as "Greenville" or "Rousseau's Dream" and was published as a piano piece in 1818. According to Chase ("Old Songs and Singing Games") the melody was used in an opera written by Jean Jaques Rousseau about 1750. One of Randolph's contributors said that the same tune is used for the hymn "Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy". Jackson("Spiritual Folk-Songs of Early America") lists a text for "Come Ye Sinners". He has it to the tune of "I Will Arise"(aka Come Thou Font) but it does scan to the Aunt Rhody tune. Digging a little further I found another version of "Come Ye Sinners" in a rather acid-eaten songster called "Songs of Grove and Temple" published by the Hall-Mack Company. Judging by the copyrights on individual songs the book was assembled about 1908. The first four measures, are indeed the Aunt Rhody tune; the second four measures are different, the four measures of Aunt Rhody are then repeated for the last lines of the verse. The words were written by Joseph Hart in 1759. This book credits the tune to Jean J Rousseau. For the curious, the following is the text of "Come Ye Sinners" combined first from the songbook and then additional verses from the Jackson book.
COME YE SINNERS- Compilation
Come ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow'r.
He is able, he is able,
He is willin" doubt no more.
Now ye needy come and welcome;
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh,
Without money, without money
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.
Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness he requireth
Is to feel your need of him:
This he gives you, this he gives you;
'Tis the Spirit's glimmering beam.
Come ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and mangled by the fall:
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all;
Not the righteous, not the righteous,
Sinners Jesus came to call.
The verses cited in Jackson are only 4 lines to fit the "I Will Arise" tune with chorus. They are the first 4 lines of verses 1 and 3 above and these 2 additional ones.
Agonizing in the garden,
Lo, your Master prostrate lies;
On the bloody tree behold him,
Hear him cry before he dies.
Lo, th'incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of his blood;
Venture on him, venture wholely,
Let no other trust intrude.
Come Ye Sinners- Max Hunter Collection- Cat. #0260 (MFH #92) - As sung by Rev. Harold E. Hunter, Eldorado Springs, Missouri on October 7, 1958
http://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinformation.aspx?ID=260
VERSE 1: Come ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus ready, stands to save you
Full of pity, love and power
He is able, he is able
He is willing, doubt no more
VERSE 2: Now, ye needy, come and welcome
Gods free bounty glorify
True belief and true repentence
Every grace that brings you nigh
Without money, without money
Come to Jesus Christ and buy
VERSE 3: Let not conscience make you linger
Nor a fitness fondly dream
All the fitness he requireth
Is to feel your need of him
This he gives you, this he gives you
T'is the spirits glimering beam
VERSE 4: Come ye weary, heavy laden
Bruised and mangled by the fall
If you tarry till your better
You will never come at all
Not the righteous, not the righteous
Sinners, Jesus came to call
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