Amazing Grace was written by English clergyman John Newton in 1772 and first published in 1779, drawing on his own conversion from a life at sea and in the slave trade to Christian ministry. The lyrics were later paired with a folk melody that helped the hymn spread through churches in Britain and America, and through gospel, folk and popular recordings in the twentieth century. Its message of redemption and its simple, singable tune have kept it in use at funerals, memorial services, graduations and moments of national reflection.