[Verse 1]
Jesus, man of sorrows, prince in disguise
Royalty veiled, You were despised
Jesus, man of sorrows, acquainted with grief
Tasting our tears, teaching us peace
[Verse 2]
Pierced for our sin, crushed for our pride
You bore the weight of our iniquities
Jesus, man of suffering, You walked in our skin
Tempted like us, yet You never sinned
Jesus, man of suffering, You were betrayed
Abandoned by all, yet You forgave
[Chorus]
Pierced for our sin, crushed for our pride
You bore our weight
Pierced for our sin, crushed for our pride
You bore the weight of our iniquities
[Bridge]
Jesus, man of sorrows, the King in disguise
[Outro]
Man of sorrow, what a name
For the Son of God who came
Who sinners to reclaim
Hallelujah, what a Savior
Hallelujah, what a Savior
Hallelujah, what a Savior
Man Of Sorrows
Song Meaning
Brian Doerksen sets "Man Of Sorrows" almost word for word inside Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering servant — "prince in disguise," "acquainted with grief," "pierced for our sin, crushed for our pride." The title itself is lifted directly from Isaiah 53:3, and the song keeps returning to that verse's core exchange: "You bore the weight of our iniquities," substitution rather than mere sympathy. "Royalty veiled" carries the paradox the whole song rests on — the King disguised as the condemned.
The second half narrows from prophecy to biography: "Tempted like us, yet You never sinned... betrayed / Abandoned by all, yet You forgave." That last clause is the hinge — betrayal met with forgiveness rather than retaliation is the detail Doerksen refuses to let pass without comment, since it's the same posture Jesus took from the cross itself.
The closing "Hallelujah, what a Savior" doesn't explain the suffering away — it sits right next to it, treating grief and praise as compatible responses to the same event rather than sequential ones.