Lyrics To How Great Is Our God

The Song Behind the Lyrics

How Great Is Our God was written by Chris Tomlin, Andy Park, and Josh Williamson. It first appeared on the 2004 album See the Morning. The song quickly became one of the most covered worship tracks in contemporary Christianity, largely because of its straightforward theology and singable structure. It's built around the concept of God's glory and majesty, but the lyrical approach is deliberately accessible rather than academic. The melody sits in a moderate 4/4 time, which is why it translates well to everything from full band arrangements to solo piano. That structural simplicity is also what makes the lyrics so easy to remember, even after one listen.

Where to Find Lyrics To How Great Is Our God

If you're looking for the complete lyrics, the most reliable sources are official lyric databases like LyricFind, Genius, or the copyright-holders directly through CCLI. Many fan sites have the text, but they frequently contain errors or incomplete verses. I always cross-reference at least two sources before using lyrics in a church setting or production context, because small discrepancies—like a missing word or a misplaced line—can throw off the whole arrangement. For those who just want to sing along or learn the song, I usually pull the lyrics from a licensed source or grab a chord chart from a reputable site like WorshipLeads or Project46. Those platforms tend to have the text verified against the published sheet music.

The Lyrics

The song opens with the well-known lines about the splendor of the King and continues through several verses and a repeating chorus. Here is the full structure as written by Tomlin, Park, and Williamson: The splendor of the King, clothed in radiance bright But the blindness of men, the glorified Son

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom The glory of the Lord is the radiance of His light And we will sing, oh how great Thou art

How great Thou art The chorus repeats the central declaration, and the bridge shifts toward the personal response of worship. The structure is verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, which is standard for the genre but works effectively here because each section builds naturally on the previous one.

Why This Song Works in Practice

I've arranged this song for multiple church contexts over the years, and the thing that stands out is how adaptable it is. The vocal range sits comfortably in the middle register for most congregations, and the key of G major (the most common transpose) works well for both male and female voices. If your congregation struggles with higher notes, transposing down to E or D major usually solves the problem without losing the emotional impact of the chorus. The one edge case I run into regularly is the bridge section. When the band plays it with full dynamics, the vocalists often get lost in the mix. My workaround is simple: pull the guitars and pads back to half volume during the bridge, let the bass and drums carry the foundation, and bring the other instruments in gradually as the final chorus builds. It takes some practice from the band, but it prevents the common mistake of turning the climax into a wall of noise where nobody can hear the words. Another thing beginners miss is the tempo feel. The original recording sits around 72-74 BPM, but many live versions speed up unintentionally because the congregation gets excited during the chorus. I've seen this happen at least a dozen times. The fix is to have the drummer count in firmly and establish the tempo before the first chord. Once the band locks in, the tempo stays steady even when the energy rises.

Common Problems People Have with the Lyrics

The biggest issue I see is people mishearing certain phrases. "Clothed in radiance bright" gets misheard as "crowned in radiance light" more often than you'd expect. The correct wording matters if you're preparing a sermon series or teaching from the song, because "clothed" carries a different theological weight than "crowned." The former emphasizes God's nature and glory, while the latter shifts focus to His authority. Tomlin has clarified this in interviews, confirming the original lyric is "clothed in radiance bright." A second common problem is the bridge transition. Some lyric sheets print the bridge incorrectly, especially in older unofficial sources. The correct bridge begins with "And we will sing" and builds toward the final declaration. If you're using a lyric sheet that breaks the song differently, check it against the official CCLI licensing data to make sure the structure matches.

Downloading and Using the Lyrics Responsibly

If you need the lyrics for personal use—singing at home, studying the text, or memorizing them—you can find them on virtually any lyrics website. For church or ministry use, you'll need a CCLI license. The license covers reproducing lyrics in bulletins, projecting them during services, and recording them for internal use. The cost is modest, usually between $100 and $200 per year depending on your congregation size and how broadly you plan to use the material. For video productions, social media content, or streaming, you'll need a separate Sync license. CCLI handles this through their ProSong program. Without it, you're risking both legal trouble and potential platform takedowns. I learned this the hard way when a friend's YouTube video of our band performing the song got flagged six months after we posted it. The delay made it annoying to deal with, so now I always clear licenses upfront.

What the Song Gets Right

The lyrics succeed because they distill complex theology into language that a five-year-old and a theology professor can both understand. Lines like "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" reference Proverbs directly, grounding the song in Scripture rather than relying on abstract feeling. The chorus declaration—"How great Thou art"—is both a statement of fact and an act of worship, which is exactly what good liturgical writing should do. The limitation is that the song doesn't go deep into the mechanics of atonement or the full breadth of Trinitarian theology. It focuses on God's glory and our response. That's not a flaw—it's a deliberate choice—but it means the song works best as part of a broader set rather than standing alone as a complete theological statement.

Practical Tips for Working with the Lyrics

Print them out large. A lot of people project lyrics on screens these days, but having a physical copy still helps during rehearsal. You can mark changes, note which section needs more dynamic work, and track which lines the vocalists struggle with. It's a small thing, but it saves time during soundcheck. Memorize the bridge. The verse and chorus are easy to remember because they repeat. The bridge is where most people stumble during live performance. If the vocal team knows it cold, the transition into the final chorus hits much harder. I've been in situations where the band was waiting on the vocalist to remember the bridge lyrics mid-song, and it creates an awkward pause that breaks the momentum. Check the copyright year before you use it. The song was registered in 2004, but different arrangements and translations may have their own copyright dates. If you're creating a translated version or an adaptation for a different language, you need explicit permission from the copyright holders, not just the CCLI license.