I asked our lovely parish priest if he had any songs he liked for Lent and said to look up a song called “Coming Home”. He has also mentioned a source called With Joyful Lips, so I looked there and, with the help of Youtube to get where it is filed, found it.
It is a song by William J. Kirkpatrick and sounds a country song, which is how another musician at church who actually had heard of it remembered it. Considering it’s age I doubt it was quite as country to start with.
This blog has posted the whole hodge podge that is With Joyful Lips. It looks a copyright disaster but this one is public domain at least.
Hymnary have sheet music. WJL only use the first four stanzas.
- I’ve wandered far away from God,
Now I’m coming home;
The paths of sin too long I’ve trod,
Lord, I’m coming home.
Refrain:
Coming home, coming home,
Never more to roam,
Open wide Thine arms of love,
Lord, I’m coming home.- I’ve wasted many precious years,
Now I’m coming home;
I now repent with bitter tears,
Lord, I’m coming home. [Refrain]- I’m tired of sin and straying, Lord,
Now I’m coming home;
I’ll trust your love, believe your Word,
Lord, I’m coming home. [Refrain]- My soul is sick, my heart is sore,
Now I’m coming home;
My strength renew, my hope restore,
Lord, I’m coming home. [Refrain]- My only hope and only plea;
Now I’m coming home;
That Jesus died, and died for me;
Lord, I’m coming home. [Refrain]- I need his cleansing blood, I know;
Now I’m coming home;
Oh, wash me whiter than the snow;
Lord, I’m coming home. [Refrain]
The country song subgroup of hymns intrigues me and terrifies me. I am haunted by the memory of ‘What a Friend we Have in Jesus’ one time at Mass, and I was fully expecting a next verse to be about his ute, ex wife, or dead horse.
But more interestingly, The Cyber Hymnal has many more songs that sound almost exactly like this. And Behold! Good old Billy Kirkpatrick wrote the tune for my favourite hymn on there – ‘Let Me Die’
http://hymntime.com/tch/htm/l/e/t/m/letmedie.htm
The depressing songs with cheery tunes just hit the vibe. #genz
(My favourite section on that website is about cowboys)
Gio
I grew up in the Presbyterian church singing “What a Friend We Have In Jesus” frequently to the doleful sounds of our ancient and venerable organist. Her son turned up one day with an electric guitar of all things and rocketed through an uptempo country version of “What a Friend” with a revamped tune. I don’t think the congregation ever recovered.
Geoff
Sometimes I forget how gentle Catholics are and we got the softer end of the 60s and 70s. Guitars and pianos leave me shaken. I don’t know how I’ll go with the theatre organs St. Pius X speaks about.
I’m still getting over the fact that my local parish has a rock drum kit in the choir loft that is regularly used. The lad who plays it never really gets to unleash his potential, due to the soft and gentle nature of As One Voice.
I have been listening to the recording of Rock Mass For Love from our Anglican Cathedral, and it’s a vibe. Would keep it well away from Jesus, though.
“What a Friend” wasn’t even meant to be a country song: it was a poem, written in the 1800s by an Irishman in Canada for his mother back home. But it has been rather fitted into that genre.
Some of the YouTube videos of Southern Baptist ministers leading their congregations in song are quite, ahh, interesting.
And Ireland has produced this country-classic: https://www.godsongs.net/2020/03/the-home-of-the-nazarene-song.html
That’s a good one from John Beag O’Flatharta.
Geoff