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.
Companionship
Companionship
It was not good for man to be alone,
so when God breathed the spark of life divine
and placed him in the garden he had sown,
companionship was part of his design.
It was not good for man to have no friend,
so God formed birds and beasts for him to name:
created wild, yet there for us to tend,
responding to our care, becoming tame.
It was not good for man to have no ties,
so God made one to be his equal mate.
In cleaving, caring, sharing, loving eyes,
we find companionship, we celebrate.
It was not good that man should sin and fall,
hurt self and others, hide and be condemned.
So God came down: in Christ he died for all,
that we might live in him, become his friend.
We thank you, God, for all these gifts you give:
our gardens, pets, our spouses and our friends.
Help us to learn to trust you as we live,
and find companionship which never ends.
Words copyright © John Hartley 2007. All rights reserved.
Verses 1-3 based on Genesis 2.
Suggested Tune: Scampston (10.10.10.10) by Richard Shephard (born 1949).
Story behind the song
I wrote these words after a request from another Christian minister for any hymns which might be suitable for an annual "Pets Service". When the service was started it was anticipated that it might attract children and young families, but in fact its core congregation has turned out to be the older generation for whom a pet is a great source of comfort, often when a marriage partner has died. So, although children's songs like "A wiggly waggly worm", "Who's the king of the jungle", and "Have you seen the pussy cat" are acceptable for the "children's item" in the service, there was a need for more adult items which go beyond "All things bright and beautiful" and "All creatures of our God and king".
I was drawn to Genesis 2 as a text as it presents the creation of the woman as filling the need for a helper which the animals, although partial solutions, had not provided - and so the hymn was written. I'm very grateful to a number of friends from "Christian Songwriting Organisation" who gave me feedback on an initial version of the hymn and helped me improve it. One suggestion, on which I have not taken a final view, was that verse 4 should be omitted - I do like to include the gospel wherever possible, but perhaps redemption is a different theme from companionship?
Although the words would go to most 10.10.10.10 hymn tunes (for instance "Woodlands"), the tune I had in mind when I wrote it was Scampston by Richard Shephard, which is commonly used for the "Exsultet" hymn in the Easter Service of Lights. It appears in "Common Praise" as no. 156, but I think it is copyright so have not reproduced it here.
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.