The Old Rugged Cross
One of the 94 hymns we sing together at Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church on the Gold Coast. Browse the full hymnbook.
Lyrics
Verse 1
On a hill far away
Stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross
Where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost
Sinners was slain.
Chorus
So I’ll cherish
The old rugged cross
Till my trophies
At last I lay down;
I will cling
To the old rugged cross,
And exchange it
Someday for a crown.
Verse 2
Oh, that old rugged cross
So despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God
Left His glory above,
To bear sin on dark Calvary.
Verse 3
In the old rugged cross,
Stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For ’twas on that old cross
Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
Verse 4
To the old rugged cross
I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day
To my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
Behind the Hymn
"The Old Rugged Cross" was written by George Bennard in 1913 while he was conducting revival meetings in Pokagon, Michigan. Bennard was a Methodist evangelist who had been born in Youngstown, Ohio, and after his father's death had worked in coal mines to support his family before entering the ministry. He later recalled that the hymn was born during a particularly difficult season of ministry when he was facing intense spiritual opposition and personal trials. The experience drove him to a deeper meditation on the meaning of the cross, and the words began forming in his mind over a period of several weeks. He composed the melody on his guitar and first performed the completed hymn at a revival meeting in the small town of Pokagon. The song's deeply personal language — "I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown" — resonated with ordinary believers who saw their own struggles reflected in Bennard's honest devotion. It became one of the most popular gospel songs of the twentieth century, consistently ranking near the top of lists of America's favorite hymns.