The Hymn That Started With a Thunderstorm
Here’s a fun fact most people don’t know: one of the most beloved worship songs in history was not written in a church, at a piano, or in a recording studio.
It was written outside, in a thunderstorm, by a Swedish sailor-turned-minister who happened to survive a midday lightning show and felt moved to write a poem about it.
That man was Carl Boberg. The year was 1885. And the poem he wrote in the small coastal town of Mönsterås, Sweden eventually became “How Great Thou Art“ a hymn that has since been recorded over 1,800 times and regularly ranks alongside Amazing Grace as one of the most loved hymns in the world.
Whether you’re a beginner guitarist learning your first worship song, a worship leader preparing for Sunday service, or just a music lover curious about the chords behind this timeless piece you’re in the right place.
Let’s break it all down.
A Quick History (Because Context Makes Music Sound Better)
Before we dive into chord charts, it’s worth knowing where this song actually came from. The story is wild, in the best way.
Boberg wrote the original poem in Swedish and titled it “O Store Gud” (O Great God). He published it in a local newspaper, then essentially forgot about it. Years later, he attended a church meeting in another province and was stunned to hear an entire congregation singing his poem set to an old Swedish folk melody he hadn’t chosen himself.
That melody stuck.
The song traveled across borders over the next few decades, translated into German, then Russian. An English missionary named Stuart K. Hine came across the Russian version while working in Ukraine in 1927. He translated it into English, added his own verses, and published the version we know today in 1949.
Even then, the song remained largely unknown in America until 1955, when George Beverly Shea the lead soloist for Billy Graham’s evangelical crusades sang it at the Toronto Crusade. The response was electric.
Two years later, Shea performed it at the 1957 Billy Graham Crusade at Madison Square Garden, which ran for 16 weeks and was watched by an estimated 96 million people on television. The hymn exploded in popularity overnight.
Then came Elvis. Two of Elvis Presley’s three Grammy Awards came from his recordings of this hymn. That’s not a joke the King of Rock and Roll won Grammys for a 140-year-old Swedish poem turned Christian hymn.
Carl Boberg died in 1940 more than a decade before any of this happened. He never got to see what his stormy afternoon inspired.
How Great Thou Art Chords: The Basics
Now, let’s get to what you came here for.
The good news? How Great Thou Art chords are genuinely beginner-friendly. The song uses a small set of common chords that you’ve probably already learned, or will learn quickly. The emotional weight comes not from complexity, but from how those simple chords are placed and timed.
G Most Popular for Guitar
The key of G is the most widely used arrangement for guitar. It sits comfortably for most male voices and keeps the chord shapes straightforward.
Chords used: G, C, D, Em, Am
Verse 1:
G C
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
G D G
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made.
G C
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
G D C G
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Chorus:
C G
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
G D G
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
C G
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
G D C D G
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
The chord progression in G is simple: G → C → D with Em and Am adding color in some arrangements. Most guitarists use this version for casual or congregational worship.
C Popular for Piano & Mixed Voices
The key of C is a favourite for piano players and works well for congregational singing because of its natural range.
Chords used: C, F, G, Am7
Verse (Key of C):
C F
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Am7 G C
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made.
C F
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Am7 G C
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Chorus (Key of C):
Am7 F C
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
G F C
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
The Am7 chord in the chorus gives it a slightly deeper, more contemplative feel which fits the lyric beautifully.
Key of D Rich and Full
The key of D is slightly higher than G and is common in many recorded versions of the hymn.
Chords used: D, G, A, Bm
Verse (Key of D):
D Bm
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
G A D
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made.
D A/C# Bm
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
G A D
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
The D/F# and A/C# passing chords add a nice movement to the bass line if you’re on piano or playing fingerstyle guitar. But if you’re a beginner, you can simplify by just playing D and A the effect is still beautiful.
A Traditional & Classic
Many traditional hymnals use the key of A, which is also the original key listed in most music archives.
Chords used: A, D, E
Verse (Key of A):
A D
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
A E A
Consider all the works Thy Hand has made.
A D
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
A E A
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
This is perhaps the most stripped-back and traditional arrangement. It works wonderfully for a simple acoustic guitar setting.
Choosing the Right Key for Your Voice
This is where most beginners get stuck. They learn the chords in G, but the song sits too low or too high for their voice. Here’s a simple guide:
Male vocalists: Key of G, A, or B works well. G is the most comfortable starting point.
Female vocalists: Key of C, D, or E tends to suit higher vocal ranges better.
Mixed congregation: Key of C or D is usually the safest bet. It splits the difference nicely.
If you’re a guitarist who wants to play in G but sing in a higher key, you can use a capo. A capo on the 2nd fret with G chord shapes puts you in A. A capo on the 5th fret puts you in C. Simple, effective.
For Passion’s well-known arrangement, the song is played in the key of B with a capo on the 4th fret using G chord shapes. This gives that full, resonant worship-band sound without complicated chord shapes.
| Capo Position | G Shape Sounds Like |
| No capo | G |
| Capo 2 | A |
| Capo 4 | B (Passion version) |
| Capo 5 | C |
| Capo 7 | D |
Capo Guide at a Glance
Strumming Pattern Tips
How Great Thou Art has a natural flow that suits a gentle, deliberate strumming style. The original time signature is actually 6/4, though most modern guitarists simplify it to 4/4.
For beginners, start with one strum per beat. Let the chords ring. This is a song about reverence and wonder rushing the tempo defeats the whole point.
A simple strumming pattern that works well:
Down – Down – Up – Down – Up (repeat)
As the song builds, especially heading into the chorus, you can naturally increase your strumming intensity. The emotional crescendo of “How great Thou art“ tends to take care of itself if you let the chords breathe.
Piano Tips: How to Play How Great Thou Art
If you’re a pianist, the beauty of this song lies in its space. You don’t need to fill every beat.
A beginner approach: play the chord in your right hand and the root note of that chord in your left hand, in a steady, flowing rhythm.
As you progress, try a root-fifth-root pattern in the left hand (like a hymn-style bass line) while your right hand carries both the melody and the chord. It fills the room without overcomplicating things.
For the chorus, you can voice the chords higher up the keyboard to give the melody room to soar. The chord progression in the chorus naturally wants to lift let it.
The Full Lyrics with Chord Cues (Key of G)
Here’s a complete at-a-glance version for worship leaders or solo players:
Verse 1: (G) O Lord my God, when I in (C) awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy (G) Hands have (D) made I see the (G) stars, I hear the (C) rolling thunder Thy power through (G) out the uni (D) verse dis (G) played
Chorus: (C) Then sings my soul, My (G) Savior God, to Thee (G) How great Thou (D) art, (G) How great Thou art (C) Then sings my soul, My (G) Savior God, to Thee (G) How great Thou (D) art, (C) How great Thou (G) art
Verse 2: (G) And when I think, that (C) God, His Son not sparing Sent Him to (G) die, I scarce can take it (D) in That on the (G) Cross, my burden (C) gladly bearing He bled and (G) died to take a (D) way my (G) sin
Verse 3: (G) When Christ shall come, with (C) shout of acclamation And take me (G) home, what joy shall fill my (D) heart Then I shall (G) bow, in humble (C) adoration And there pro (G) claim my God: how (D) great Thou (G) art.
