Chief
Chief of Sinners.
Composer: Edward Mote
1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]
3 His oath, his covenant, his blood,
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]
4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]
Story behind the song
Edward Mote was a cabinetmaker turned Baptist minister who became a prolific hymn writer, composing over 100 hymns. One of his most famous hymns, "The Solid Rock," was likely written in 1834 and originally titled "Jesus, my All in All." It was later edited and set to a tune by William Bradbury in 1863. The hymn, based on the parable of building a house on rock in Matthew 7:24-27, has provided comfort and inspiration to many over the years.