O My God, What Must I Do in Tonic Solfa

O My God, What Must I Do in Tonic Solfa to WATCHMAN, doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.

The solfa with the words

Doh is D6/4

dO---rmy-mGod,---rwhat-

mmust---fI-sdo?-----

sThou---ma--slone---lthe-

sway---mcanst-rshow;-----

dThou---rcanst-msave---rme-

min---fthis-shour,-----

d'I---lhave-snei----rther-

mwill---rnor-dpower:-----

sGod---mif-d'o----lver-

sall---mthou-d'art,-----

sGreat----mer-d'than---lmy-

tsin----lful-sheart,-----

mAll---rthy-dpower---ron-

mme---fbe-sshown,-----

d'Take---la--sway---rthe-

mheart---rof-dstone.-----

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Key: D major
Doh: D
Time: 6/4
Starts on: d (D)
Range: d to d' (D to D, an octave)
Tune: WATCHMAN
Words: Charles Wesley, John Wesley
Music: Lowell Mason

Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791). Sources and licences.

The solfa line by line

The same solfa as plain text, a line of the hymn at a time, with the words of the first verse under it — easy to copy into your own notes or a message to the choir. To print it, download the solfa as a PDF.

Doh is D · 6/4

| d - - - r - m - - - r - O my God, what| m - - - f - s - - - - - |must I do?

| s - - - m - s - - - l - Thou alone the| s - - - m - r - - - - - |way canst show;

| d - - - r - m - - - r - Thou canst save me| m - - - f - s - - - - - |in this hour,

| d' - - - l - s - - - r - I have neither| m - - - r - d - - - - - |will nor power:

| s - - - m - d' - - - l - God if over| s - - - m - d' - - - - - |all thou art,

| s - - - m - d' - - - l - Greater than my| t - - - l - s - - - - - |sinful heart,

| m - - - r - d - - - r - All thy power on| m - - - f - s - - - - - |me be shown,

| d' - - - l - s - - - r - Take away the| m - - - r - d - - - - - |heart of stone.

Staff notation

The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.

The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.

The words

O my God, what must I do?
Thou alone the way canst show;
Thou canst save me in this hour,
I have neither will nor power:
God if over all thou art,
Greater than my sinful heart,
All thy power on me be shown,
Take away the heart of stone.

Take away my darling sin;
Make me willing to be clean;
Make me willing to receive
All thy goodness waits to give:
Force me, Lord, with all to part,
Tear these idols from my heart;
Now thy love almighty show,
Make even me a creature new.

Jesus, mighty to renew,
Work in me to will and do;
Turn my nature's rapid tide,
Stem the torrent of my pride,
Stop the whirlwind of my will,
Speak, and bid the sun stand still;
Now thy love almighty show,
Make even me a creature new.

Arm of God, thy strength put on,
Bow the heavens, and come down;
All my unbelief o'erthrow,
Lay the aspiring mountain low;
Conquer thy worst foe in me,
Get thyself the victory;
Save the vilest of the race,
Force me to be saved by grace.

How to sing it from the solfa

Find doh first. Play or hum D and sing d r m f s up from it, so the whole choir has the key in their ears before you start.
Pitch the first note. The tune starts on d (D).
Count the time. 6/4 means six crotchet beats (two dotted minims) in each bar. In the grid every cell is half a crotchet: a dash (–) holds the note before it, and _ is a rest.
Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s l t. A comma after a note (s,) is the octave below; an apostrophe (d') is the octave above.

New to solfa? Read how to read Tonic Solfa and how to find the doh of a song.

About the hymn

John Wesley printed these words in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 158. They first appeared in a book he and his brother Charles published together, and the Collection's own index cannot say which of the two wrote them.

The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Sevens Double (7.7.7.7.7.7.7.7), and this page sets them to WATCHMAN; any other Sevens Double tune fits them as well.

Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
Words: John Wesley (1703–1791)
Music (1830): Lowell Mason (1792–1872)

Tune WATCHMAN by Lowell Mason (1792–1872); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788) or John Wesley (1703–1791).

Sung to the same tune: Come, Thou High and Lofty Lord, Darkness Overspreads Us Here, Father, Lo! We Consecrate, Father, Son, and Spirit, Hear, Father! Thy Paternal Care, Gracious Lord, Our Children See, Guide Us, Lord! While, Hand in Hand, Mary to Her Savior's Tomb, Meet and Right It Is to Praise, Pleasing Spring Again Is Here, Time, by Moments, Steals Away, While with Ceaseless Course the Sun.

Questions about O My God, What Must I Do

What is the doh of O My God, What Must I Do?

In this version, in D major, doh is D. If your choir sings it in another key, doh moves to the new key note and every solfa syllable stays the same — that is what movable doh means.

What note does O My God, What Must I Do start on?

It starts on d (D in D major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.

Is O My God, What Must I Do in the public domain?

Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788, John Wesley died in 1791, Lowell Mason died in 1872; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1830. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in the UK, the EU, the United States and Nigeria. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.