Jesus Paid It All (Beazley)

Jesus Paid It All, sometimes titled as Jesus Paid It All (Beazley)[i] or Gone Is All My Debt of Sin, was written by M. S. Shaffer and Samuel William Beazley (1873–1944.) Beazley, who wrote the music, is well known, but Shaffer, who wrote the words, remains unidentified. The song appeared as No. 66 in Revival Gems and No. 70 in Favorite Songs and Hymns. According to Revival Gems and New Songs of the Old Faith the song was copyrighted in 1917 in Hosannas by Samuel W. Beazley (Chicago, IL: 1917) – though “Hymn Time” suggests the words first appeared in The Highway Hymnal by Charlie D. Tillman (Atlanta, GA: Charlie Tillman Song Book Company, 1915).

The Scripture text of Isaiah 53:12 appears with it in some song books.

The time signature is 4/4 and the meter is somewhat irregular, particularly the chorus. The stanzas, of which there are three, are 7.7.7.5.D. meter.

1. Gone is all my debt of sin,

A great change is wrought within,

And to live I now begin,

Risen from the fall;

Yet the debt I did not pay,

Someone died for me one day,

Sweeping all the debt away,

Jesus paid it all.

2. Oh, I hope to please Him now,

Light of joy is on my brow,

As at His dear feet I bow,

Safe within His love,

Making His the debt I owed,

Freedom true He has bestowed;

So I’m singing on the road

To my home above.

3. Sinner, not for me alone

Did the Son of God atone;

Your debt, too, He made His own,

On the cruel tree.

Come to Him with all your sin;

Be as white as snow within;

Full salvation you may win

And rejoice with me.

Chorus – sung after each stanza:

Jesus died and paid it all (yes)

On the cross of Calvary (oh),

And my stony heart was melted

At His dying (dying) call,

O His heart in shame was broken

On the tree for you and me (yes),

And the debt (the debt) is canceled,

Jesus paid it (paid it) all.

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[i] Because it shares a title with an older and better-known song of the same name, Jesus Paid It All by Elvina Mable Hall and John T. Grape.