It is a strange thing. You are sitting in a wooden pew or maybe just scrolling through a Spotify playlist of cathedral choirs, and suddenly these words hit you. "My song is love unknown." It sounds simple, right? But the my song is love unknown lyrics carry a weight that most modern songwriters would kill to capture. We are talking about a text written in 1664 by Samuel Crossman. That is over 350 years ago. Yet, when people search for these lyrics today, they aren't just looking for Sunday school nostalgia. They are looking for a raw, almost uncomfortable exploration of human fickleness.
It’s about how fast we change our minds. One minute we’re cheering; the next, we’re looking for someone to blame.
Crossman wasn't just some dry theologian. He was a man who knew about being an outsider. He was "ejected" from the Church of England during the Great Ejection of 1662 because he didn't fit the rigid legalities of the time. He wrote this poem during a period of massive personal and national upheaval. He eventually came back to the church and became the Dean of Bristol, but you can feel that "outsider" energy in the verses. He’s looking at the story of the Passion not as a distant historical event, but as a deeply personal, almost confusing act of affection.
What the My Song is Love Unknown Lyrics Actually Mean
If you look at the structure, Crossman is doing something brilliant. He sets up a contrast. The first verse introduces the "Love": a love that is "unknown" or "unrequited." It’s a love to the loveless shown, that they might lovely be. That’s a bit of a brain-teaser. Basically, he’s saying that God loves people who aren't particularly lovable so that the act of being loved actually makes them better. It’s transformative.
But then the mood shifts. Fast.
The Crowd is Us
By the third and fourth verses, the lyrics tackle the psychology of a mob. This is the part that usually catches people off guard. "Sometimes they strew His way, and His sweet praises sing." It’s a reference to Palm Sunday. Everyone is happy. They’re throwing branches. They’re shouting "Hosanna." But then Crossman drops the hammer: "Then 'Crucify' is all their breath, and for His death they thirst and cry."
It’s a brutal observation of human nature. We love a hero until that hero doesn't do exactly what we want. The my song is love unknown lyrics aren't just a religious retelling; they are a psychological profile of how quickly a community can turn on an individual.
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The Friend Who Runs Away
"They rise, and needs will have my dear Lord made away." Think about that phrasing. "Needs will have." It suggests a desperate, irrational compulsion to destroy something good. Crossman mentions "a murderer they save, the Prince of Life they slay." He’s talking about Barabbas, obviously. But he’s also talking about our tendency to choose the destructive option because it’s easier or more popular in the moment.
Honestly, it’s a bit depressing if you stop there. But the song doesn't.
Why John Ireland’s Music Changed Everything
For about 200 years, these lyrics were just words in a book. They didn't really take off as a hymn until 1918. That’s when the composer John Ireland wrote the tune "Love Unknown." Legend has it—and this is actually a well-documented bit of musical history—that Ireland wrote the melody on a scrap of paper in about 15 minutes after being asked for a new tune by Geoffrey Shaw.
Sometimes the best stuff happens fast.
The melody is in 6.6.6.6.4.4.4.4 meter. If you aren't a music nerd, that just means it has a very specific, slightly swaying rhythm. It feels like a heartbeat. Or a long walk. When you marry Ireland’s soaring, slightly melancholic tune with Crossman’s 17th-century angst, you get something that transcends "church music."
The Verse Most People Forget
There is a verse that often gets cut in shorter versions of the hymn. It’s the one about the "sweet singers."
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“Sometimes they strew His way, / And His sweet praises sing; / Resounding all the day / Hosannas to their King.”
When this is skipped, you lose the "why." You lose the setup for the betrayal. If you are looking for the full my song is love unknown lyrics, you have to make sure you’re looking at the seven-verse original, not the four-verse "radio edit" often found in modern hymnals. The full version creates a narrative arc:
- The Invitation (Love shown to the loveless)
- The Incarnation (He came from His blest throne)
- The Popularity (Hosannas)
- The Betrayal (Crucify!)
- The Irony (The murderer saved)
- The Suffering (The tomb)
- The Response (Here might I stay and sing)
The Difference Between "Love Unknown" and Other Hymns
Compare this to "Amazing Grace." Newton’s masterpiece is about the self—"I once was lost." It’s a testimony. Crossman’s lyric is different. It’s an observation of the "Other." He is looking at the Object of his affection and saying, "I don't understand why You’re doing this."
It’s more "Why?" than "Wow."
That nuance is why it resonates with people who are going through a crisis of faith or a period of grief. It’s okay not to "get" it. The song itself admits the love is "unknown." There is a certain intellectual honesty in that. You don't have to have all the answers to sing it. You just have to acknowledge the weirdness of a love that stays even when the crowd walks away.
The Cultural Impact and Modern Covers
You’ll hear this song in some unexpected places. It was sung at the funeral of Princess Margaret. It’s a staple for the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. But it’s also been covered by folk artists and indie musicians who find the lyrics hauntingly beautiful.
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There is a version by the singer-songwriter Fernando Ortega that strips away the organ and uses a piano, which highlights the intimacy of the words. When you take away the big cathedral reverb, the my song is love unknown lyrics feel like a private conversation. It’s like Crossman is whispering his confusion and his gratitude in a quiet room.
Misconceptions to Clear Up
- Is it only for Lent? While it’s most popular during Holy Week, the themes of loyalty and enduring love make it relevant year-round.
- Did Crossman write the music? No. He died in 1683. John Ireland wrote the famous tune over two centuries later.
- Is "Unknown" a negative thing? In 17th-century English, "unknown" often carried the sense of being "unmeasured" or "beyond comprehension." It’s not that he doesn't know the love; it’s that he can’t find the bottom of it.
How to Appreciate the Song Today
If you really want to get into the head of Samuel Crossman, don't just read the words. Listen to the pauses. The way the melody climbs on the line "Never was love, dear King" and then drops back down on "Never was grief like Thine."
It is a masterclass in prosody—where the rhythm of the words and the rhythm of the music align perfectly.
Actionable Ways to Use These Lyrics
If you’re a writer, musician, or just someone who likes deep dives into poetry, there is a lot to learn here.
- Study the Contrast: Note how Crossman uses opposites (lovable/loveless, life/slay, friend/foe) to create tension. It’s a great exercise for any songwriter.
- Check the Punctuation: In the original text, the use of exclamation points and semicolons changes the pacing. Read it aloud to see where the breath naturally falls.
- Look for the "I" vs "They": Notice how the song shifts from "They" (the crowd) to "I" (the individual) in the final verse. It’s a call to personal accountability.
The final stanza is the takeaway. "Here might I stay and sing, no story so divine." It suggests that the only logical response to such a complex, "unknown" love isn't to explain it, but to simply remain in it. It’s a move from the head to the heart.
To truly understand the my song is love unknown lyrics, you have to stop trying to solve them like a puzzle. Just let the irony of the crowd's "breath" being used to cry for death sink in. It’s a reminder that we are all a little bit fickle, and that—according to Crossman—is exactly why the love was shown in the first place.
Practical Next Steps:
- Compare the 1664 original poem with the 1918 hymnal version to see how the language was "smoothed out" for congregations.
- Listen to the John Ireland "Love Unknown" tune performed by a full pipe organ to understand the scale of the composition.
- Read Crossman’s other works, though few survived with the same impact as this particular piece.