Long Meter (8.8.8.8) with refrain

A hymn's meter counts the syllables in each line of a stanza. Long Meter (8.8.8.8) with refrain means each stanza has 4 lines of 8, 8, 8 and 8 syllables — 32 in all, followed by a refrain with its own pattern. Hymnals print the meter beside each text so that a congregation can sing the words to any tune with the same pattern.

Long Meter stretches every line to eight syllables, giving a steady, stately stanza. It is the meter of “Old Hundredth” and of the Doxology, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow”, and many of the oldest Latin hymns were translated into it.

Below are the hymns in our library written in this meter and the public-domain tunes that fit them. Any text can be sung to any tune listed here; press play to hear a pairing.