All Things Bright and Beautiful
A classic hymn written to teach children about the Creator God! But did you know the writer was accused of classism because of the lyrics? Discover the story of 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' and have a closer look at the words here today.
It's a miserable day here in Boksburg, South Africa. It's windy and ice is in the air. Everyone just wants to stay inside. I put on my warmest clothes and found that they're very dark and drab, so I thought I'd brighten things up today by doing a Friday Classic Hymn on "All Things Bright and Beautiful."
I love this song. I remember singing it—I don't even quite remember where. It must have been Sunday school or maybe even school assemblies, but it's always stuck in my mind as a beautiful song about God's creation.
Do you know the song? Has it meant anything to you over the years? Please share in the comments below. I'd love for you to share how you know the song or how you feel about it. Before we get into it, can I encourage you to hit the subscribe button, like the video, and maybe share it around? That'll be really helpful.
Now let's talk about the history of the song.
The Story Behind "All Things Bright and Beautiful"
When I looked through the books I normally use for research for these videos, there was almost no information on this song. Only one book, The Penguin Book of Hymns, had any information at all. I learnt in this book that this hymn was written by Cecil Francis Alexander. She was born in Dublin in the 1800s and developed a real skill at writing poetry from a young age.
She grew into a very beautiful young woman, and all the men in the town wanted to be with her. Eventually she had two men she had to choose between, and it was a very hard decision. Then it seems as if fate made the decision for her because one of the men died, and she ended up marrying Reverend Alexander, who became quite a big figure in the Anglican Church.
Her poems and hymns are precious—they really are. She had a real passion for writing poetry that children would understand. She wanted to explain the grand truths of God in understandable, singable ways, so she would simplify the theology into plain verses which were easy to understand and easy to remember.
One of her other famous hymns is "Once in Royal David's City." If you know that one, this one is also a popular one of hers. She wanted to explain to her Sunday school children what the words of the Creed meant—the Apostles' Creed that said we believe in God, the Maker of the universe. So she explained in this beautiful little poem that all things are made by God.
It just took off and had a life of its own. Everybody knows this hymn. It's been widely used and sung throughout the years, especially in the Anglican Church, but in pretty much all churches too.
Alexander left a legacy not just through hymns but in her charity work. She did a lot of good work amongst the needy. She would walk for miles to deliver food and clothing to the poor. Along with her sister, she also started a home for the deaf, and she was known as a very loving and kind person.
Here's a picture of a blue plaque that was placed on her old residence. It's in the UK. For those of you who don't know, a blue plaque is often placed somewhere that's culturally significant. If somebody famous who did something that had an impact on the world lived in a place, they'll put a blue plaque there to commemorate that history. So there's the blue plaque on Cecil Francis Alexander's home—the one who wrote such a beautiful hymn, amongst others.
The hymn is well loved and has been used in various other contexts. In fact, most famously at the moment, there's a TV show called All Creatures Great and Small, which is based on a book by James Herriot, the vet. He used that as the title of his book because it obviously made sense to him that all these beautiful creatures he was looking after were created by the Lord God.
But would it surprise you to know that there is a controversy in these words? That one of the verses was actually banned? I'm pretty sure you've never sung that verse. So let's take a look at these words and see what's going on.
What Do the Lyrics of "All Things Bright and Beautiful" Mean?
Chorus
The song starts with the chorus, which says: All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.
Yes, all creatures, all things bright, beautiful, great, small, wise, wonderful—they're all made by the Creator. Surely they're all made by the Creator. Yet there are those who say no, it's all just scientific chance which created the universe. I just can't understand that. I mean, I know why you'd want it to be true, but surely you look at the world with all these amazing creatures and creations and think there's an intelligent design behind all of this. There must be.
Going out into the world and looking at how cleverly it's been designed—in spite of the way we've messed it up—seems to me to be overwhelming evidence for the Creator who made it all. The Lord God made it all. I love that, and I hope that you believe that as well—that it is this intelligent, wonderful, loving God who created this beautiful earth.
Verse 1: Little Flowers and Birds
The first verse says this: Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings, He made the glowing colours, He made their tiny wings.
Flowers and birds show forth the love and the grace and the creative power of God. I'm not much into flowers—I don't really know anything about flowers—but I do love birds. I've always been into birding. In fact, when I was very small, still primary school age, I had considered becoming an ornithologist because I had such a deep love for birds. I used to sit in the backyard with my binoculars and monitor the weavers in the garden. I'd have never had any friends!
But do you see God in the flowers and the birds? Do you see His creative brilliance when you see a bird doing its thing, or when you stop and look at the amazing work of a flower? Yes, He made them all. He made them and sewed them together with His hands. What a wonderful God.
Verse 2: The Controversial Verse
The next verse is the one that is controversial. It goes like this: The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate, God made them, high or lowly, and ordered their estate.
When this verse came out, there were people who thought that Alexander was advocating for a kind of split class system. They thought that she wanted the poor to stay poor and the rich to get richer—that she was just a snob writing this type of lyric. So they banned it. Can you believe this? They banned this verse from being sung in schools. That's crazy.
I look at this verse: The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate, God made them, high or lowly, and ordered their estate. For me, it seems as if it's saying very much like what the Bible says—God looks after the poor and the rich alike. God cares for the poor and the rich alike. God wants the rich to care for the poor, and He wants the poor to be set free and be cared for.
This is not advocating a greater gap between rich and poor. This is just stating that God loves everybody and doesn't have favourites. That is a very biblical theme. Of course, those who are rich should be reaching out to the poor and helping them, and that's exactly what she did. I mean, that is what she was known for. Surely it's a mistake that this verse has been forgotten. What do you think? Should we still be singing it? Share your comments below.
Verse 3: Mountains and Rivers
The next verse says this: The purple-headed mountain, the river running by, the sunset and the morning that brightens up the sky.
Now there are different places that claim to be the inspiration for this purple-headed mountain and river verse. I think there are four different places in the UK that say, "This is where she got this idea from—it's our little corner of the world." Nobody knows for sure, but regardless, isn't it a wonderful thing to see a purple-headed mountain?
Here in South Africa, we've got the mountains in Clarens and Golden Gate, which I love to go to. They're the most majestic mountains. Shereen and I did an amazing hike in Clarens once, up those mountains. When the sun goes behind the mountains, they become kind of purple. You see the same thing in the Drakensberg, one of our big famous mountain ranges, or even in the Cape. You see the purple-headed mountains when the sun goes behind them. Beautiful, beautiful scene of God's creative glory.
The river running by—I love the river. I remember my dad used to go fishing, and I would take my binoculars to watch for the birds, of course. Dad would be wading up and down the river, and I'd also sometimes go wading in with a stick. I loved going to the Vaal River, to the rivers in the Midlands Meander, seeing all the kingfishers and all the herons and all the beautiful birds out there. Surely you can't look at a river and think this is just happenstance, just an accident. Not a chance. The Lord God made them all.
The sunset and the morning—now that sounds like she's got those mixed up. The morning should come before the sunset, but it doesn't really matter. Morning and evening, the sun rising and setting is a beautiful thing. Surely you can recognise the glory of God in the rising and setting of the sun, brightening up the sky and then making the sky go dark again.
Verse 4: Cold Wind and Pleasant Sun
Verse 5 says: The cold wind in the winter—now I cycled here on my bicycle this morning, which was a mistake. It was so cold outside. It looked nice and warm; there were no clouds in the sky. As I was cycling in, I thought, "What have I done? It is so icy." I had my hood up over my helmet, but it was invigorating. I remember turning into the street saying, "This has been an invigorating ride." God was there in the cold wind, I believe it.
And the pleasant summer sun—of course, God's in the pleasant summer sun. Here in South Africa, we're blessed. We get the pleasant summer sun for long months. In fact, I remember visiting family in London in December/January, and it was cold—oh, it was cold. Then we climbed off the plane back here in Johannesburg, and it was hot. It was the pleasant summer sun which we enjoyed.
The ripe fruits in the garden, He made them every one.
Of course He did. God made everything that has life. How blessed are we to enjoy this world that He created?
Verse 5: Tall Trees and Meadows
The fifth verse is also one that kind of gets dropped out a lot of the time. It's not one of the most popular ones, and it's because it says: The tall trees in the greenwood, the meadows where we play, the rushes by the water we gather every day.
You can think of children singing this—the meadows where we play. So maybe she wrote this in the context of that group who would go and play down by the waters and by the meadows. But for most of us, this probably doesn't make a lot of sense, so perhaps it's right that we don't sing it.
Verse 6: Eyes to See and Lips to Tell
The last verse is the important one. It says: He gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell how great is God Almighty, who has made all things well.
She spent all of these verses describing all these wonders, and then she closes by saying God gave us eyes to enjoy them. Isn't that wonderful? He gave us lips that we could tell others—others who can't see or who can't understand the glory behind these things—we can tell of how God made them all. Great is God Almighty. Oh wow, what a beautiful little hymn. Don't you love these words? Simple and yet very profound. Honestly, let's sing all six verses.
Conclusion
"All Things Bright and Beautiful" remains one of the most beloved hymns in Christian history. Cecil Francis Alexander's simple yet profound words continue to point generations towards the Creator who made all things well. Whether it's the flowers and birds, the mountains and rivers, or the cold wind and pleasant sun, all of creation declares the glory of God.
I hope this hymn has been a blessing to you today. If you'd like to support this ministry, you can do so through Patreon or PayPal. Don't forget to check out our daily devotions and Canaan Melodies as well.
References
The Penguin Book of Hymns – source for biographical information on Cecil Francis Alexander
