Lyrics
'Tis the promise of God, full salvation to give
Unto him who on Jesus, His Son, will believe.
Hallelujah, 'tis done! I believe on the Son;
I am saved by the blood of the crucified One.
Though the pathway be lonely, and dangerous, too,
Surely Jesus is able to carry me through.
Many loved ones have I in yon heavenly throng;
They are safe now in glory, and this is their song:
Little children I see standing close by their King,
And He smiles as their song of salvation they sing.
There's a part in that chorus for you and for me,
And the theme of our praises forever will be:
Public domain hymn text (1876). Words and music by Philip P. Bliss.
The Story Behind the Hymn
Philip P. Bliss wrote both the words and music of 'Hallelujah, 'Tis Done!' in 1876, the same year that brought his brief, prolific career to a sudden end; it was among the last hymns he completed before his death in a train disaster that December.
The hymn states its case in the plainest possible terms: verse one lays out the promise of salvation by faith, and the refrain immediately answers it with personal testimony, 'I believe on the Son; I am saved by the blood of the crucified One,' collapsing doctrine and assurance into a single declared moment rather than building toward it gradually.
Its later verses shift from personal testimony to communal hope, picturing 'loved ones… in yon heavenly throng' and 'little children… standing close by their King,' extending the hymn's assurance beyond the individual singer to a wider company already believed to be safe in glory.
Its closing verse invites the singer directly into that same company, promising 'there's a part in that chorus for you and for me,' turning the hymn's testimony outward into an invitation rather than ending on private assurance alone.
Bliss became a singing evangelist at Dwight L. Moody's urging in 1868 and spent his last years leading music at revival meetings with D. W. Whittle across the Midwest and South, work that shaped the direct, testimony-driven style typical of this hymn and much of his other writing.
On December 29, 1876, Bliss and his wife died in a train wreck and fire near Ashtabula, Ohio, while traveling to a revival meeting; he was thirty-eight. He had already given away the substantial royalties from his popular Gospel Songs collections.
'Hallelujah, 'Tis Done!' remained a favorite in revival, camp meeting, and gospel hymnals well into the twentieth century, valued for the same plain, declarative confidence that marked Bliss's best-known work.
