Classic Christian Hymns · Public-domain text

Joy to the World

Isaac Watts

Recognized as the 'Father of English Hymnody' (1674–1748), Watts revolutionized congregational worship. As a young man, he complained about the dull and awkward metrical psalms sung in church, prompting his father to challenge him: 'Give us something better, then.' Watts did exactly that, writing over 750 hymns. He pioneered the practice of writing 'hymns of human composure' that expressed personal Christian experience, culminating in masterpieces like 'When I Survey the Wondrous Cross' and the triumphant Christmas anthem 'Joy to the World'.

Source: The Psalms of David Imitated

Joy to the world, the Lord is come

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns

Let men their songs employ

While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

No more let sins and sorrows grow

Nor thorns infest the ground

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

Far as, far as the curse is found

He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of his righteousness

And wonders of his love

And wonders, wonders of his love

Joy to the World

More classic hymns