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.
Bowing down
Bowing down
Before you Lord I bow the knee,
and in your name I pray;
for you alone have died for me
to take my sins away.
Bowing down, bowing down,
I give you all the glory.
Before you, Lord, I lift my voice,
and, Jesus, name your name:
you gave me freedom by your choice
that you would suffer pain.
Bowing down, bowing down,
I give you all the glory.
Before you, Lord, I raise my hands,
make praise my sacrifice.
You satisfied the law's demands,
your death has paid the price.
Bowing down, bowing down,
I give you all the glory.
Into your presence now I come
in fellowship with friends.
In you my new life is begun:
please use me for your ends.
Bowing down, bowing down,
I give myself to your glory.
Words and tune copyright © John Hartley 2006.
Story behind the song
I wrote this song while on a boating holiday on the Rochdale Canal, winding my way up a deep valley in West Yorkshire. The majesty of the countryside might make me want to bow down in adoration of God, but there are better reasons, and that's what I was trying to convey in this song.
I'm grateful to friends from the Christian Songwriting Organisation e-mail list, who have given me a number of helpful comments about this song.
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.