A song to bring us home

My new family was a bit surprised when I asked that we sing Amazing Grace at our wedding. I learned from them that it's a song strongly associated with funerals. I grew up in a family and a community without a strong Christian presence, so funerals didn't have a lot of music, let alone spiritual music.
I came to the song from another perspective, crawling from the wreckage that had no business continuing, except by grace. I took the words, "I once was lost, but now am found," as a thin but strong tether that brought me to shore.
I am quite glad that I hadn't read the words in their original form first, because I'd've been quite confused.

Amazing grace! (how fweet the found)
That fav'd a wretch like me!
I once was loft, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I fee.

As I've often noted, this song is all too often rendered impotent by vapid orchestration and operatic soloists. This song is about sin, people, and the deep, deep horror that comes when one realizes the consequences of sin, not only on one's life, but, most importantly, on the lives of others. As Bruce said later on,

Well if I had one wish in this god forsaken world, kids
It'd be that your mistakes would be your own

Our sins are never just our own. That's what makes them matter.

The Library of Congress has a page about Amazing Grace, tracing its evolution from a plaintive prayer to a mainstay of Christian spiritual music.

via MeFi.