John de Luca’s interaction with the folk mass repetoire was one of the reasons I wanted to cover his New Living Parish Hymn Book so competely.
This is his take on Ray Repp‘s, “Hear, O Lord” and he has certainly changed it both musically and lyrically.
I can’t find any sheet music on line – all the links from my previous post appear dead and OCP only have an MP3 to sell you. Godsongs notes the old collections it is found in, but they would need to be obtained second hand. If you use sites like Scribd they have copies.
Assuming the music I found back in 2014 reflected the original and changing the key to D as used here, de Luca has once again usefully tarted up the folk arrangement:
The orginal lyrics are, I believe:
Chorus
Hear O Lord the sound of my call,
Hear O Lord and have mercy.
My soul is longing for the glory of you,
O hear O Lord and answer me.
1 Every night before I sleep
I pray my soul to take,
Or else I pray that loneliness
Is gone when I awake.
Chorus
2 Why do I no longer feel
Like I’ve a place to stay?
O take me where someone will care
So fear will go away.
Chorus
3 In you, Lord, I place my cares
And all my troubles too.
O grant, dear Lord, that some day soon
I’ll live in peace with you.
Chorus
The words may have seemed too personal or unsuited to liturgy because other versions of the text are out there. With a refrain that is very influenced by the psalms it is no surprise that revised verses would also be inspired there. I found these verse lyrics by David Lauria:
1 For the Lord is my light and strength, so whom have I to fear?
He watches o’er my life below, in him alone I trust.
2 There is a river leading to the city God had made
Though waters crash and mountains roar the walls shall stand untouched.
3 Come and see the works of the Lord, exalt his name on high!
Though nations cry and kingdoms fall his voice brings peace to all.
John de Luca also wiped the verses and replace them with his paraphrase of Psalm 129. It is certainly a common enough folk trope to write your own lyrics to an older tune.
I don’t think his first verse works anymore because “Sweet Jesus” has become a profanity, but the rest is fine.
1 From the depths I call to you, sweet Jesus, hear my cry.
Oh, let your ears be ever keen to hear me when I sigh:
2 If the Lord should mark our guilt, what creature would survive?
But God to us his mercy shows, and fallen souls revive.
3 So my soul waits for the Lord, no longer so forlorn.
My soul is longing for the Lord as watchmen wait the dawn.
4 For the Lord is merciful, on him we do rely;
His people, Israel, lifted up from failure to on high.
5 Glory now to God be given, the Father and the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Gift of Love, for ever Three in One.
I made a backing with de Luca’s arrangement: