History of “Lead Me to Calvary”
Words by Jennie Evelyn Hussey (1874-1958), Published in 1921
Hymnologist and music educator Ann Divine weaves these threads together to provide more insight into the poet’s life:
When in her later years Jenny Evelyn Hussey asked to be baptized, she explained to the minister that she had been hidden away in the country most of her life and before she died, she wanted others to know that she loved Jesus. Descended from a long line of Quakers (who did not practice [outward sacraments]), Hussey spent her life selflessly taking care of an invalid sister. Never complaining, she too was later stricken with deforming arthritis.
What an irony that this self-sacrificing woman, who accepted her anonymity with quiet grace, should be remembered through this her hymn. Knowing these circumstances, stanza 4 takes on new relevance:
May I be willing, Lord, to bear daily my cross for thee, even the cup of grief to share— thou hast borne all for me.
In 1874, Jennie Hussey was born in rural New Hampshire (where she spent much of her life). For many years, she was the primary caregiver for an invalid sister, despite dealing with her own crippling arthritis.
Though Jennie was born into a Quaker family that went back many generations, she chose to identify with the Baptists as an adult. Since Quakers did not practice water baptism, Jennie asked to be baptized at First Baptist Church in Concord, New Hampshire. She told the pastor, “I’ve spent much of my life hidden away in the country, and I’d like to have the opportunity, before God takes me home, to tell everybody, ‘I love Jesus.’”
The hymn “Lead Me to Calvary” is said to have been born out of Jennie’s painful battle with arthritis; she prayed the words of her hymn:
May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.
Tune “Duncannon” by William James Kirkpatrick (1838-1921)
Lyrics to the Hymn: Lead Me to Calvary
King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be:
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.
Chorus:
Lest I forget Gethsemane;
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid,
Tenderly mourned and wept;
Angels in robes of light arrayed
Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept.
Let me like Mary, through the gloom,
Come with a gift to Thee;
Show to me now the empty tomb,
Lead me to Calvary.
May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.
