With brok­en heart and con­trite sigh,
A trem­bling sin­ner, Lord, I cry;
Thy par­don­ing grace is rich and free:
O God, be mer­ci­ful to me.

I smite up­on my trou­bled breast,
With deep and con­scious guilt op­pressed,
Christ and His cross my on­ly plea:
O God, be mer­ci­ful to me.

Far off I stand with tear­ful eyes,
Nor dare up­lift them to the skies;
But Thou dost all my ang­uish see:
O God, be mer­ci­ful to me.

Nor alms, nor deeds that I have done,
Can for a sin­gle sin atone;
To Cal­va­ry alone I flee:
O God, be mer­ci­ful to me.

And when, re­deemed from sin and hell,
With all the ran­somed throng I dwell,
My rap­tured song shall ev­er be,
God has been mer­ci­ful to me.