I Love to Tell the Story is a gospel hymn by Katherine Hankey, an English Bible teacher, taken from a long poem she wrote in 1866 while recovering from a serious illness. William G. Fischer set it to music in 1869 and added the refrain, 'Twill be my theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love. The hymn is about the joy of sharing the gospel, both because it is true and because some have never heard it. Its spirit is Psalm 66:16: Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
Katherine Hankey, known to her friends as Kate, was the daughter of a London banker. As a young woman she started Bible classes for shop girls and for the daughters of wealthy families, and later she visited South Africa to care for her invalid brother. In 1866, while ill and confined to bed, she wrote a fifty-verse poem about the life of Jesus. The first part, The Story Wanted, gave the church Tell Me the Old, Old Story. The second part, The Story Told, gave it this hymn. The Philadelphia musician William Fischer added a tune and refrain, and through the Moody and Sankey meetings it went around the world. It has been sung in Sunday schools, at revivals and by country artists such as Alan Jackson, whose 2006 recording introduced it to a new audience. Below are the words as printed in 1894, and 12 KJV verses behind them.
I Love to Tell the Story: the words
Verse 1
I love to tell the Story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His Glory,
Of Jesus and His Love!
I love to tell the Story,
Because I know it's true;
It satisfies my longings,
As nothing else would do.
Refrain:
I love to tell the Story!
'Twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the Old, Old Story
Of Jesus and His love.
Verse 2
I love to tell the Story!
More wonderful it seems,
Than all the golden fancies
Of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the Story!
It did so much for me!
And that is just the reason
I tell it now to thee.
Refrain:
I love to tell the Story!
'Twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the Old, Old Story
Of Jesus and His love.
Verse 3
I love to tell the Story!
'Tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it,
More wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the Story;
For some have never heard
The message of salvation
From God's own Holy Word.
Refrain:
I love to tell the Story!
'Twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the Old, Old Story
Of Jesus and His love.
Verse 4
I love to tell the Story!
For those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it, like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the New, New Song,
'Twill be the Old, Old Story
That I have loved so long.
Refrain:
I love to tell the Story!
'Twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the Old, Old Story
Of Jesus and His love.
Words: A. Katherine Hankey (1834-1911), from The Story Told, the second part of her long poem The Old, Old Story (1866); music and refrain: William G. Fischer (1869). Text copied from Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6 Complete (New York and Chicago, 1894), hymn 30, checked against Hymns Consolation (Bliss), No. 39, which prints it under Psalm 145:5 (both Internet Archive scans). The 1894 dash in the last verse ('Twill be the Old, Old Story) is dropped. Public domain.
Of unseen things above: the story worth telling
1. 2 Corinthians 4:18
"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
The hymn begins with the story of unseen things above. Paul explains why Christians fix their minds there: While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. Hankey wrote while bedridden, when the seen things of life had been taken from her for a time. The unseen things, Jesus and His glory, became more real than ever. The gospel is a story about a world we cannot yet see, told by the One who came from it. It lasts when everything else fades.
2. Colossians 3:1-2
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. The hymn's things above are not vague spiritual ideas. They are centered on a person: Jesus and His glory, Jesus and His love. Paul says those who belong to Christ already share His risen life, so their hearts should be where He is. To love telling the story is a sign that the heart has been set on things above. People talk most about what they love most.
3. Psalms 145:5
"I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works."
Hymns Consolation printed this hymn under Psalm 145:5: I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. The whole psalm is about passing God's praise from one generation to another: One generation shall praise thy works to another (Psalm 145:4). That is exactly what Hankey's hymn does. It is not only a song about loving the story but an encouragement to keep speaking of it. The wondrous works of God in Christ, His birth, His miracles, His cross and His resurrection, are meant to be told and retold, not kept to ourselves.
4. 1 Peter 1:8
"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:"
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Peter had seen Jesus with his own eyes, but he was writing to Christians who had not. They loved Jesus anyway, and their joy was unspeakable, beyond words. Yet the hymn shows that unspeakable joy still wants to speak. Hankey's I love to tell the Story is the voice of someone who has never seen Jesus but loves Him and cannot stay silent. Love for Christ and the desire to tell others about Him grow together.
Because I know it's true: a story that satisfies
5. John 20:31
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
The first verse gives the simplest reason to tell the story: Because I know it's true. John says why he wrote his Gospel: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. The gospel is not a moral fable or a beautiful idea; it is a written account of real events meant to lead to faith and life. Christians tell it not because it is pleasant or traditional, though it is both, but because it is true and because it gives life to those who believe.
6. 2 Peter 1:16
"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty."
The second verse says the story is more wonderful than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams. Peter insists that it is no fancy: For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He had been on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured. Human imagination produces golden dreams that never come true. The gospel outshines them because it actually happened. Its wonder is not that it is a better story than ours, but that it is true and still better.
7. Luke 1:3-4
"It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed."
Luke opened his Gospel by explaining his method: It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. He interviewed eyewitnesses and set the events in order. Hankey's confidence, Because I know it's true, rests on that kind of careful testimony. The story we tell has been checked by people who were there. Faith is not a leap in the dark but trust in a reliable account.
8. Psalms 107:9
"For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."
It satisfies my longings, as nothing else would do. The psalmist says of God, For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107 tells of wanderers, prisoners, the sick and sailors in a storm, each crying to the LORD and each being rescued. The deepest longings of the human heart are for God Himself, and nothing smaller will fill them. Hankey's line is the testimony of millions who have tried other stories and found them empty. The story of Jesus does not only inform; it satisfies. See our Bible verses about God providing.
For some have never heard: telling it now and singing it forever
9. Romans 10:14
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"
The third verse says, For some have never heard the message of salvation from God's own holy Word. Paul asks the questions that drove the missionary movement: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? The chain is simple. No one can believe a message they have never heard. That is why Christians tell the story, at home, at work and across the world. Kate Hankey gave the profits from her writing to missionary work for this very reason.
10. Mark 16:15
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. This command is often called the Great Commission. Notice that it is given to ordinary disciples, not only to professional preachers. Hankey was not ordained; she was a Sunday-school teacher who loved telling the story to shop girls in London. The hymn makes evangelism sound less like an obligation and more like a joy: I love to tell the Story. When the gospel has done so much for us, as the second verse says, telling it becomes as natural as sharing any good news. See our verses about sharing the gospel.
11. Psalms 66:16
"Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul."
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. The psalmist invites people to listen to his testimony, his personal story of what God has done. The hymn's second verse says the same: It did so much for me, and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee. The gospel is the story of Jesus, but it also becomes part of our story. Personal testimony is one of the most natural ways to share faith. We may not be able to answer every question, but we can tell what God has done for our soul.
12. Revelation 5:9
"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;"
The last verse looks ahead: And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the New, New Song, 'twill be the Old, Old Story that I have loved so long. In heaven John hears that new song: Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. The song is new, but its subject is the oldest story of all: the Lamb who was slain. Hankey's insight is beautiful. We will never move on from the cross. We will sing about it forever.
A short prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the old, old story of Your glory and Your love. I know it is true, and it satisfies my longings as nothing else can. It has done so much for me. Give me joy in telling it and courage to share it with those who have never heard. Let me speak of Your wondrous works to the next generation, and declare what You have done for my soul. And when I stand before Your throne, let me sing the new song of the Lamb who was slain, the story I have loved so long. Amen.
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Frequently asked questions
Who wrote I Love to Tell the Story?
The words are by Arabella Katherine Hankey (1834-1911), an English Bible teacher and writer, from her 1866 poem The Old, Old Story. The tune and the refrain I love to tell the story, 'twill be my theme in glory are by William Gustavus Fischer (1835-1912), a Philadelphia piano dealer and choir director, who published it in 1869.
Is I Love to Tell the Story the same as Tell Me the Old, Old Story?
No, but they come from the same poem. Katherine Hankey's long poem had two parts. The first, The Story Wanted, became Tell Me the Old, Old Story, set by William Doane. The second, The Story Told, became I Love to Tell the Story, set by William Fischer. Gospel Hymns (1894) prints them next to each other as hymns 28 and 30.
What Bible verse is I Love to Tell the Story based on?
Hymns Consolation printed it under Psalm 145:5, I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. Its themes also echo Psalm 66:16 (declaring what God has done for my soul), Romans 10:14 (some have never heard), and Revelation 5:9 (the new song in heaven).
Is I Love to Tell the Story in the public domain?
Yes. Katherine Hankey's words (1866) and William Fischer's tune and refrain (1869) are in the public domain in the United States. Modern recordings, such as Alan Jackson's on Precious Memories (2006), have their own copyright as recordings and arrangements, but the hymn may be printed and sung freely.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Blessed Assurance · Amazing Grace · What a Friend We Have in Jesus · Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling · The Romans Road · Sharing the Gospel · Testimony · Missionary Work
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