Introduction
When the world speaks of Elvis Presley, most think of the swiveling hips, the gold lamé suit, and the scandalous rock ’n’ roll that split America in two. But there was another Elvis—a man who could silence an arena of thousands with nothing more than a hymn. And it was in “How Great Thou Art” that he proved he wasn’t just the King of Rock ’n’ Roll—he was something far greater.
Picture it: a stage flooded with light, an audience buzzing with electric anticipation. Then Elvis, dressed in white, steps to the microphone—not as the rebel idol but as a vessel of something higher. As the first notes of the hymn swell, the crowd doesn’t scream. They don’t dance. They fall into reverent silence. And then, with that unearthly voice, Elvis delivers a performance that is less entertainment and more spiritual detonation.
Critics had long accused him of being vulgar, even dangerous. But with “How Great Thou Art,” Elvis turned those accusations into ashes. He reminded the world that his roots weren’t in rebellion—they were in the gospel churches of the South, where a young boy first learned that music could crack open the human soul.
This was no mere song—it was an exorcism of doubt, a declaration of faith, and a challenge to anyone who dared call him a sinner. The King sang like a man possessed, roaring the hymn into eternity. And when he finished, audiences didn’t just applaud—they wept.
Elvis Presley didn’t just sing “How Great Thou Art.” He summoned it. He bent the sacred and the profane into one overwhelming force. That night, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll crowned himself something even bolder: a prophet of song, a man whose voice reached past the stage and scraped the very gates of heaven.
Video
Lyrics
Oh Lord, my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art
Then sings my soul, my savior God, to thee
How great thou art (How great thou art)
How great thou art (How great thout art)
Then sings my soul, my savior God, to thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
