[ come and see ]

[ story behind the song ]

This was an unusual song for Graham, in that the inspiration for the tune came first. Graham has had no formal music training, so his approach to the emotional language of his music tends to be intuitive and absorbed from his musical experience. From this approach was born one of the most moving Passion hymns, which reminds us that as he approached the cross, the ultimate demonstration of the friendship of God for man, Christ himself was completely alone and friendless.

Graham wrote for the emotional tenor of the tune:

'There was an obvious kind of pathos in the tune and the melody. It was around the time that I was writing Make Way for the Cross, so it seemed appropriate that this song should be a meditation around the cross.'

[ lyrics ]

Come and see, come and see
Come and see the King of love
See the purple robe and crown of thorns he wears
Soldiers mock, rulers sneer
As he lifts the cruel cross
Lone and friendless now he climbs towards the hill

We worship at your feet
Where wrath and mercy meet
And a guilty world is washed
By love's pure stream
For us he was made sin
Oh, help me take it in
Deep wounds of love cry out 'Father, forgive'
I worship, I worship
The Lamb who was slain.

Come and weep, come and mourn
For your sin that pierced him there
So much deeper than the wounds of thorn and nail
All our pride, all our greed
All our fallenness and shame
And the Lord has laid the punishment on him

Man of heaven, born to earth
To restore us to your heaven
Here we bow in awe beneath
Your searching eyes
From your tears comes our joy
From your death our life shall spring
By your resurrection power we shall rise