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From Depths Of Woe
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Oct 8, 2026 updated
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Song Meaning
Indelible Grace performs “From Depths Of Woe,” a 16th-century hymn that paraphrases Psalm 130. It opens in the language of the psalm, “From depths of woe I raise to Thee the voice of lamentation; Lord, turn a gracious ear to me.” The singer then asks the question that makes the psalm famous: if God marked iniquities, “O who shall stand before Thee?”
The answer takes up the middle of the hymn. “Grace, grace alone availeth; our works, alas, are all in vain,” and “no man can glory in Thy sight.” Trust is placed “in the Lord and not in mine own merit,” and God's “promised mercy is my fort.” The waiting stanza extends the thought through the night: “what though I wait the livelong night, and till the dawn appeareth, my heart still trusteth in His might.” The hymn ends with a shepherd who will free his people “from all their sin and sorrow,” because “His grace much more aboundeth.”
The hymn follows Psalm 130:1-8 stanza by stanza, including the waiting for the morning in verse 6 and the plentiful redemption in verse 7. The same teaching appears in Ephesians 2:8-9, salvation by grace and not works.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team
The voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me
And hear my supplication;
If Thou iniquities dost mark,
Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
O who shall stand before Thee?
To wash away the crimson stain,
Grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth:
No man can glory in Thy sight,
All must alike confess Thy might,
And live alone by mercy.
3. Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His Word
Upholds my fainting spirit:
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort, and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience.
What though I wait the livelong night,
And till the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might;
It doubteth not nor feareth:
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed;
And wait till God appeareth.
Though great our sins and sore our woes,
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our utmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free.
From all their sin and sorrow.