“Tell Me the Old, Old Story”: the hymn Katherine Hankey wrote while recovering from illness

She was in bed, recovering from a long illness, when she began to write. In 1866, Katherine Hankey, a 32-year-old Englishwoman who taught Bible classes to girls in London, wrote a poem about the life of Jesus in two parts. From it came two of the best-loved gospel hymns of the nineteenth century: “Tell Me the Old, Old Story” and “I Love to Tell the Story”.

Katherine Hankey and her Bible classes

Hankey was born in 1834 in Clapham, London, into a wealthy banking family linked to the Clapham Sect, the evangelical group that campaigned against slavery. She devoted much of her life to Christian teaching and charity. As a young woman, she organised Bible classes for shop girls and wealthy young women in London. Many of her students went on to lead classes themselves.

Illness and the words

In 1866 she fell seriously ill. During her recovery, she wrote a long poem in two parts. The first, “The Story Wanted”, became “Tell Me the Old, Old Story”. The second, “The Story Told”, became “I Love to Tell the Story”.

The hymn asks for the gospel to be told simply: “Tell me the old, old story of unseen things above, of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love. Tell me the story simply, as to a little child, for I am weak and weary, and helpless and defiled.”

The tune and revival meetings

The American composer William Howard Doane heard the poem read at a convention in Montreal in 1867 and composed the tune that is still used today. The hymn became popular at evangelistic meetings in Britain and America, including those led by Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey. Hankey later travelled to South Africa to care for her brother, an experience that deepened her interest in missions. She gave proceeds from her writing to missionary work.

Simplicity and her death

The hymn’s appeal lies in its plea for a simple message. It speaks for people who feel weak and need the gospel told plainly. The hymn is widely sung in Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian churches across Africa, often in local languages. Katherine Hankey died in London in 1911. Katherine Hankey asked for the old story to be told as if to a child. A century and a half later, congregations still sing her request in dozens of languages.