diff --git a/help.go b/help.go
index c1e974a481..20e12761f9 100644
--- a/help.go
+++ b/help.go
@@ -59,6 +59,11 @@ var HelpPrinter helpPrinter = printHelp
 // HelpPrinterCustom is a function that writes the help output. It is used as
 // the default implementation of HelpPrinter, and may be called directly if
 // the ExtraInfo field is set on an App.
+//
+// In the default implementation, if the customFuncs argument contains a
+// "wrapAt" key, which is a function which takes no arguments and returns
+// an int, this int value will be used to produce a "wrap" function used
+// by the default template to wrap long lines.
 var HelpPrinterCustom helpPrinterCustom = printHelpCustom
 
 // VersionPrinter prints the version for the App
@@ -263,8 +268,22 @@ func ShowCommandCompletions(ctx *Context, command string) {
 // allow using arbitrary functions in template rendering.
 func printHelpCustom(out io.Writer, templ string, data interface{}, customFuncs map[string]interface{}) {
 	funcMap := template.FuncMap{
-		"join": strings.Join,
+		"join":   strings.Join,
+		"wrap":   func(input string, offset int) string { return input },
+		"offset": offset,
+	}
+
+	if customFuncs["wrapAt"] != nil {
+		if wa, ok := customFuncs["wrapAt"]; ok {
+			if waf, ok := wa.(func() int); ok {
+				wrapAt := waf()
+				customFuncs["wrap"] = func(input string, offset int) string {
+					return wrap(input, offset, wrapAt)
+				}
+			}
+		}
 	}
+
 	for key, value := range customFuncs {
 		funcMap[key] = value
 	}
@@ -366,3 +385,55 @@ func checkCommandCompletions(c *Context, name string) bool {
 	ShowCommandCompletions(c, name)
 	return true
 }
+
+func wrap(input string, offset int, wrapAt int) string {
+	var sb strings.Builder
+
+	lines := strings.Split(input, "\n")
+
+	padding := strings.Repeat(" ", offset)
+
+	for i, line := range lines {
+		if i != 0 {
+			sb.WriteString(padding)
+		}
+
+		sb.WriteString(wrapLine(line, offset, wrapAt, padding))
+
+		if i != len(lines)-1 {
+			sb.WriteString("\n")
+		}
+	}
+
+	return sb.String()
+}
+
+func wrapLine(input string, offset int, wrapAt int, padding string) string {
+	if wrapAt <= offset || len(input) <= wrapAt-offset {
+		return input
+	}
+
+	lineWidth := wrapAt - offset
+	words := strings.Fields(input)
+	if len(words) == 0 {
+		return input
+	}
+
+	wrapped := words[0]
+	spaceLeft := lineWidth - len(wrapped)
+	for _, word := range words[1:] {
+		if len(word)+1 > spaceLeft {
+			wrapped += "\n" + padding + word
+			spaceLeft = lineWidth - len(word)
+		} else {
+			wrapped += " " + word
+			spaceLeft -= 1 + len(word)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return wrapped
+}
+
+func offset(input string, fixed int) int {
+	return len(input) + fixed
+}
diff --git a/help_test.go b/help_test.go
index 5f292b77e5..6e758f8d30 100644
--- a/help_test.go
+++ b/help_test.go
@@ -907,3 +907,89 @@ func TestHideHelpCommand_WithSubcommands(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Run returned unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestWrappedHelp(t *testing.T) {
+
+	// Reset HelpPrinter after this test.
+	defer func(old helpPrinter) {
+		HelpPrinter = old
+	}(HelpPrinter)
+
+	output := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	app := &App{
+		Writer: output,
+		Flags: []Flag{
+			&BoolFlag{Name: "foo",
+				Aliases: []string{"h"},
+				Usage:   "here's a really long help text line, let's see where it wraps. blah blah blah and so on.",
+			},
+		},
+		Usage:     "here's a sample App.Usage string long enough that it should be wrapped in this test",
+		UsageText: "i'm not sure how App.UsageText differs from App.Usage, but this should also be wrapped in this test",
+		// TODO: figure out how to make ArgsUsage appear in the help text, and test that
+		Description: "here's a sample App.Description string long enough that it should be wrapped in this test",
+		Copyright: `Here's a sample copyright text string long enough that it should be wrapped.
+Including newlines.
+
+
+And then another long line. Blah blah blah does anybody ever read these things?`,
+	}
+
+	c := NewContext(app, nil, nil)
+
+	HelpPrinter = func(w io.Writer, templ string, data interface{}) {
+		funcMap := map[string]interface{}{
+			"wrapAt": func() int {
+				return 30
+			},
+		}
+
+		HelpPrinterCustom(w, templ, data, funcMap)
+	}
+
+	_ = ShowAppHelp(c)
+
+	expected := `NAME:
+    - here's a sample
+      App.Usage string long
+      enough that it should be
+      wrapped in this test
+
+USAGE:
+   i'm not sure how
+   App.UsageText differs from
+   App.Usage, but this should
+   also be wrapped in this
+   test
+
+DESCRIPTION:
+   here's a sample
+   App.Description string long
+   enough that it should be
+   wrapped in this test
+
+GLOBAL OPTIONS:
+   --foo, -h here's a
+      really long help text
+      line, let's see where it
+      wraps. blah blah blah
+      and so on. (default:
+      false)
+
+COPYRIGHT:
+   Here's a sample copyright
+   text string long enough
+   that it should be wrapped.
+   Including newlines.
+   
+   
+   And then another long line.
+   Blah blah blah does anybody
+   ever read these things?
+`
+
+	if output.String() != expected {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected wrapping, got:\n%s\nexpected: %s",
+			output.String(), expected)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/template.go b/template.go
index aee3e0494f..8c97e1accb 100644
--- a/template.go
+++ b/template.go
@@ -4,16 +4,16 @@ package cli
 // cli.go uses text/template to render templates. You can
 // render custom help text by setting this variable.
 var AppHelpTemplate = `NAME:
-   {{.Name}}{{if .Usage}} - {{.Usage}}{{end}}
+   {{$v := offset .Name 6}}{{wrap .Name 3}}{{if .Usage}} - {{wrap .Usage $v}}{{end}}
 
 USAGE:
-   {{if .UsageText}}{{.UsageText}}{{else}}{{.HelpName}} {{if .VisibleFlags}}[global options]{{end}}{{if .Commands}} command [command options]{{end}} {{if .ArgsUsage}}{{.ArgsUsage}}{{else}}[arguments...]{{end}}{{end}}{{if .Version}}{{if not .HideVersion}}
+   {{if .UsageText}}{{wrap .UsageText 3}}{{else}}{{.HelpName}} {{if .VisibleFlags}}[global options]{{end}}{{if .Commands}} command [command options]{{end}} {{if .ArgsUsage}}{{.ArgsUsage}}{{else}}[arguments...]{{end}}{{end}}{{if .Version}}{{if not .HideVersion}}
 
 VERSION:
    {{.Version}}{{end}}{{end}}{{if .Description}}
 
 DESCRIPTION:
-   {{.Description}}{{end}}{{if len .Authors}}
+   {{wrap .Description 3}}{{end}}{{if len .Authors}}
 
 AUTHOR{{with $length := len .Authors}}{{if ne 1 $length}}S{{end}}{{end}}:
    {{range $index, $author := .Authors}}{{if $index}}
@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@ COMMANDS:{{range .VisibleCategories}}{{if .Name}}
 
 GLOBAL OPTIONS:
    {{range $index, $option := .VisibleFlags}}{{if $index}}
-   {{end}}{{$option}}{{end}}{{end}}{{if .Copyright}}
+   {{end}}{{wrap $option.String 6}}{{end}}{{end}}{{if .Copyright}}
 
 COPYRIGHT:
-   {{.Copyright}}{{end}}
+   {{wrap .Copyright 3}}{{end}}
 `
 
 // CommandHelpTemplate is the text template for the command help topic.