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.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
My God, my God
why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
My God, I cry
by day but you do not answer,
and by night I weep unceasingly
but the Lord my God is unmoving.
Yet you are throned, the Holy One,
you are the praise of Israel.
All our fathers trusted you,
they sought your help,
you kept them safe:
you delivered them.
A worm am I,
despised by the rest of men.
I am scorned when they encounter me,
insulted and mocked in my trouble.
"He trusts in God,"
they say, "but his God won't answer.
Let the Lord his God deliver him
if He takes delight in His servant!"
Yet from my birth I've trusted you,
you are the praise of Israel.
Saviour, never far from me:
with trouble near,
with all I fear,
Lord, deliver me.
Stampedes of bulls
now threaten to tread me down;
my insides pour out like waterfalls,
my strength is dried up like a desert;
My foes, like dogs,
are circling around to kill me;
they divide my clothes between them all,
they cast lots for all of my clothing.
But you O Lord be not far off:
you are the praise of Israel.
Save me from the pains of death,
the teeth and horns,
the jeers and scorns,
Lord, deliver me.
Words and tune copyright © John Hartley 2008.
Based on Psalm 22:1-21
Story behind the song
I wrote this song as a possible solo item for use in a Good Friday service. The liturgy calls for a reading from Isaiah, then Psalm 22, and then a reading from Hebrews all in succession, and the person leading the service had decided not to ask the whole congregation to join in saying the psalm together. Hence this song, to punctuate the readings and provide variety.
The first part of the psalm alternates between despair and hope, and I wanted to reflect this by providing alternate "verse" and "chorus" stanzas for the two moods. In order to do that I felt I needed to provide some constant phrases and themes for the "chorus" stanzas. The piece probably needs a bridge to follow the third chorus stanza and then a recapitulation of the chorus to finish, but that work will have to be postponed for the moment.
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.