Prostrate O Lord I lie

Song Meaning

This plea opens with a stark image of abasement: "Prostrate O Lord, I lie." The narrator begs for divine attention, framing their "sad and mourning dittie" as a heartfelt offering. It's a raw outpouring from a "hart hart'ly contrite" soul, presented as a "sacrifice" meant to be pleasing in God's "heavenly sight." The core tension arises from the contrast between the narrator's awareness of their sin and their desperate hope for divine mercy. They implore God not to "observe not sinnes," acknowledging that no one could stand if judged solely on their transgressions. Instead, they plead for mercy to "cancell them," a plea rooted in the belief that God has "not man deni'd it." The lyrics highlight a profound theological paradox: God's incomprehensible "wonders" and "mercie" that "above all" reason "reacheth." This divine quality is presented as a teaching "spirit" that prevents "sinner[s]" from succumbing to "foul despair." The ultimate message is one of redemption, asserting that "never soul so foul there was / But mercie made it faire."