Come, Ye Disconsolate

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1. Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish. come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel. Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

2. Joy of the desolate, light of the straying, hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure! Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying, "Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot cure."

3. Here see the bread of life; waters flowing forth from the throne of God, pure from above. Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.

Words by: Thomas Moore;
alt. by Thomas Hastings
Music by: Samuel Webbe

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Story of the hymn Come, Ye Disconsolate

Thomas Moore: The Poet Behind the Words

Thomas Moore (1779-1852) was born in Dublin, Ireland, to a prosperous grocer. He became a celebrated poet, singer, and balladeer, often called the "national bard" of Ireland for his Irish Melodies—popular songs blending poetry with traditional airs that expressed Irish patriotism and melancholy. He was a close friend of Lord Byron (and later his literary executor) and moved in sophisticated literary circles in England.

Moore was nominally Roman Catholic but not particularly devout in his public life; he was more famous for romantic, patriotic, and even light-hearted or Anacreontic (celebrating wine and song) poetry than for sacred writing. In 1816, however, he published a collection called Sacred Songs, which included 32 pieces with religious themes. One of them was originally titled "Relief in Prayer" (sometimes referred to simply as a poem in his sacred songs).

This became the basis for the hymn "Come, Ye Disconsolate." Moore wrote the first two stanzas (with a different third stanza in his original). His version carried a poetic, somewhat Catholic-tinged tone, inviting the sorrowful to find relief at God's "shrine."

Enduring Impact

"Come, Ye Disconsolate" has ministered to countless troubled hearts over two centuries. It stands out because of its direct, empathetic address to those who are grieving, weary, or burdened —"where'er ye languish." Rather than offering cheap platitudes, it honestly acknowledges anguish and earthly sorrow while pointing to the only place true healing can be found: at the feet of Christ. The hymn's story reflects a beautiful convergence: a secular-leaning Irish poet's tender verses, refined by an American church musician, set to a Catholic composer's melody, and embraced across denominational lines. It continues to comfort believers by reminding them that no sorrow is beyond heaven's reach.

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