This page is provided so that you can hear the tunes of items which we use in church. Mostly they are written by the vicar. Please note that they are copyright - we are very happy to give permission to you to use them, but we would like to hear about it. Please include any use on your Christian Copyright Licence returns.
Down this page:
- the words,
- the story,
- the sheet music,
- media player.
God, the LORD, I bring my worship
God, the LORD, I bring my worship
God, the LORD, I bring my worship.
I will praise your holy name.
You defended me in hardship,
and protected me from shame.
When I cried, you heard my anguish;
from the depths you raised my soul.
Now I'll praise instead of languish!
God, my Lord, you've made me whole.
God, the LORD, I'll sing your praises:
in your favour is my life.
When I sin your wrath amazes,
and you send me times of strife.
When I'm proud or self-sufficient
then your anger takes its toll:
when I turn, you're beneficient!
God, my Lord, you make me whole.
God, the LORD, I bring repentance
for the times I miss your ways.
If you carried out my sentence,
could my dust declare your praise?
You have turned my lamentation
into joy: so I'll extol
and I'll sing with jubilation!
God, my Lord, you'll make me whole.
Words copyright © John Hartley 2007.
Suggested tune as below - please help me identify it!
Story behind the song
This song arose from a request on the COIN (Christians on the Internet) music e-mail discussion list, for metrical canticles suitable for singing as part of the Easter Vigil. Psalm 30 is one of them. You can find the full scheme by following this link.
I find this a fascinating Psalm, alternating as it does between praise for God and admission of the need of his redemption and therefore of my repentance. Often it's a matter of choosing the right tune for the mood of the words: I suggest the tune "Stenka Razin", a Russian folk tune (a 4-line version of this can be found in Hymns for Today's Church, No. 411).
John Hartley.
Windows Media Player. When you click the left-hand "play" button your computer should have started to play the tune. If it didn't, you might be able to get the tune by clicking here, or by right-clicking the link, choosing "save target as", saving it onto your computer, and then opening it with a music-playing program.
Please remember that a midi file of a tune isn't supposed to be a state-of-the-art musical arrangement - it is only supposed to give a basic idea of how the tune goes. Any reasonable organist / keyboard player / music group could make it sound far better.