Mary suggested that this a song with similar liturgical use to Marty Haugen’s song I blogged recently that was more assembly friendly.
It is by Colin Gibson who I understand is famous in New Zealand. In the book Alleluia Aotearoa that I found at a book sale and have yet to explore, it’s a toss up between him and Shirley Erena Murray (who I have heard of) for most songs in the hymnal.
If this is anything to go by he is just as socially conscious as Shirley Murray.
Hope Publishing (have I said they are wonderful lately?) have the text and the sheet music.
There is touch of the John Bell’s as well, not only in the social commentary but in the lack of guitar chords. Now to make a backing in BIAB I need these. I suspect real musicians like these songwriters think anyone can work out chords, but I often struggle.
Sometimes the chords are available separately or have been tabbed somewhere with greater or lesser accuracy. Frequently, Together in Song, comes to the rescue, especially with songs from Gather Australia that don’t have chords. If there is any performance of it available on the internet I can record a wave file and run it through BIAB backwards to get an idea – that is great sometimes but often misleading. In this case it was a matter of looking at the piano music and guessing, then adjusting things once entered into BIAB to eliminate discordant sounds.
So my backing has the notes and guessed chords with dodgy bass runs and probably too many minor chords.
I’m sure this is singable, although it has a bit of “My Bonnie” in there. In the book I have the tempo is 100, at Hope Publishing it is 120 but I’ve done it at 130.
A tribute to Colin Gibson: