You might think that being lashed to a ship’s mast during a raging hurricane wouldn’t be the most productive work environment, but it was just such a moment that provided the inspiration for “Amazing Grace,” one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world.
The author of the song was John Newton, a lawless young Englishman born in 1725 whose early life had him headed for jail—or worse. He was so disobedient on land that he was pressed into service in the Royal Navy. But he soon fell into trouble with the navy captain for overstaying his leave, and he was traded to a ship that carried slaves from Africa to ports around the world.
Newton proved to be the worst of that bad lot, too, as he was often in trouble for writing obscene poems about the captain. He was punished so severely that he almost starved to death, and he was often beaten and chained, just as were the slaves that the ship carried. The captain bristled at Newton’s obscenities, calling him one of the most profane men he had ever met—and that’s saying a lot when you spend your time with sailors on a slave ship.
In March of 1848, however, the ship was caught in a powerful North Atlantic storm that had already washed one seaman overboard to his death, and many of the sailors gave up all hope of surviving.
Newton, however, lashed himself to a beam and worked a pump for more than eleven hours. In despair, he cried out to God to save him and the ship he was on.
When the storm eventually waned, he felt that God had sent him a powerful message. Still, he wondered if he was worthy of mercy or salvation, since he had not only neglected his own faith but mocked others who practiced their faith. He had even denounced God as a myth.
“Could any God save a wretch like me?” he wondered.
Still, his redemption was gradual. He continued working in the slave trade, though he began to lead a more honorable life in other ways. He married in 1850, and he began to study Latin, Greek, and theology. Eventually, he left the slave trade behind and immersed himself in the church with his wife, Polly. Later, he became a powerful abolitionist whose work eventually led to the end of slavery in the United Kingdom.
He was ordained in the Church of England in 1764, and he became curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire. There he began to write hymns.
To illustrate a sermon on New Year’s Day, 1773, Newton introduced the words to the song “Amazing Grace.” It is not clear whether the words were sung or chanted that first time, but they carried a powerful message, especially considering the remarkable journey that Newton had made before he could come to them:
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
The tune that has come to be associated with the song today was borrowed later from another song called “New Britain.”
According to author Gilbert Chase, “‘Amazing Grace’ is without a doubt the most famous of all the folk hymns.” It has been estimated that the song is performed about 10 million times every year.
Ironically, the song was embraced by the African-American community—even during slavery—and it has been sung as a spiritual for hundreds of years in this country. Verses have been added, most notably by Harriet Beecher Stowe in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” In it, Uncle Tom sings:
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise,
Than when we first begun.
Slavery ended in the United Kingdom in 1807—the same year that Newton died. Although he never personally connected the song’s lyrics with his work to abolish slavery, others did that work for him.
The song enjoyed a resurgence of popularity during the 1960’s in America, most notably on the folk music scene, and it has been recorded thousands of times, often appearing on popular music charts by a variety of artists. There are more than 3,000 recorded versions of the song in the Library of Congress.
So, all things considered, you’d have to give John Newton credit for doing a good day’s work while being lashed to a mast during a hurricane.
