What’s Up With the Title?

By titling the poem "A Hymn to God the Father," Donne indicates that it is meant to be sung in a church, which reflects the confessional nature of the poem and the speaker's direct requests to God. You can't get much more straightforward than that. Calling God "the Father" also mirrors his use of "Son" later in the poem; it helps us identify just who that son is (hint: it's Jesus).