(Intro) (Ideally, the recording sounds raw—you hear the guitarist take a deep, shaky breath. The guitar begins with a melancholic, finger-picked melody on the lower strings. It sounds lonely.) (Verse 1) [Vocals: Clean, soft, almost a whisper. You can hear the singer’s voice trembling.] Amazing grace... How sweet... the sound. That saved a wretch... a wretch like me. (Pre-Chorus) (The guitar picking turns into a nervous, palm-muted strumming pattern. Building tension.) [Vocals: Spoken, getting louder] I was lost. I was so lost. I didn't know where to go. I didn't know where to look. (Chorus) (Explosion of sound. The acoustic guitar is being strummed violently, strings snapping against the fretboard.) [Vocals: High-pitched, fried SCREAM] I ONCE WAS LOST! BUT NOW! I AM! FOUND! [Vocals: Strained clean singing, overlapping the screams] (Was blind, but now I see...) [Vocals: SCREAM] I WAS BLIND! BUT NOW! I SEE! (Verse 2) (Sudden stop. Silence for two seconds. The guitar returns to the soft finger-picking from the intro.) [Vocals: Clean, breathless, singing lower in the register] 'Twas grace that taught... my heart to fear. And grace... my fears relieved. (Strumming gets harder again) How precious did... that grace appear. The hour... I first... believed. (Bridge) (Rhythmic, heavy strumming. Foot stomps on the downbeat.) [Vocals: Gang vocals / Shouted chant] Through many dangers! Toils and snares! I! HAVE! ALREADY! COME! (Music cuts out completely) [Vocals: Spoken, desperate whisper] 'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far... (Guitar creates a wall of noise—fast, frantic strumming) [Vocals: Long, drawn-out SCREAM] AND GRACE! WILL LEAD! ME! HOME! LEAD! ME! HOME! (Verse 3 / Outro) (The energy fades. The guitar slows down to a crawl. Heavy breathing is audible.) [Vocals: Clean, exhausted, cracking slightly] When we've been there... ten thousand years. Bright shining... as the sun. We've no less days... to sing God's praise. Than when... (One final hard strum, let it ring out into feedback) ...Than when we first begun. (End)
