Church Music

There are still more Patricia Smith songs in the digital archive of As One Voice. This is an unusually contrite song for Eucharist with a special relevance in Lent.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow.

Sing along with my backing to learn the song:

1 Lord, who of us can say we have not sinned?

And who of us can cast the first stone?

Our weaknesses you know, O Lord, and still you call us.

Refrain

And so we com to you for healing.

Lord, we come, you set us free.

Lord, we come with hands uplifted.

Lord, we come, and we receive.

2 Thirsting for your love, O Lord we come,

When every other heart is closed.

When every face is turned away, you reach out to us.

3 We stumble in the darkness, O Lord,

Searching for the light of your truth,

Till you open up our eyes and we can see you clearly.

4 When we lose our way you call us home once more,

We long for your forgiveness and peace.

Then your gentle arms, enfold us and you lift us to you.

Erica Marshall’s songs sneak up on you but are always worthwhile. This one, from the AOV digital archive, has various uses in Lent.

You can purchase the sheet music at Willow, where you can hear her version of the song.

For once my backing strips the music down to a more basic sound.

1 In our thirsting we have come, drinking deep of your abundance.

With the water that you give, we will never thirst again.

Springs will freely flow, more than we could know.

With the water you can give, we will never thirst again.

2 In our darkness, we have come, walking into light and beauty.

With the clear sight that you give, we will not be blind again.

Open to the light! Darkness turning bright!

With the light that you can give, we will not be blind again.

3 In our lives, so bound and tight, let us walk into new freedom.

With the new life that you give, we will never die again.

Roll the stone away! We can live today!

With the life that you can give, we will never die again.

© 2007,2015 Erica Marshall. Published by Willow Publishing.

This is another of the wonderful Patricia Smith hymns, this time for Eucharist, from the digital archive of As One Voice. She catalogues many aspects of the meaning of Eucharist.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow.

My backing is at 110bpm and may be nothing like what she intended.

1 We gather and remember how you gave your Son to us,

Giving up his life in endless love,

And we bring our thanksgiving, and our worship and our love

As we do this in memory of him.

Refrain

We take and eat this bread, now become his Body,

We take and drink this Cup, given of love.

We gather and remember and his love lives on in us,

As we do this in memory of him.

2 We gather at this table, bringing gifts of bread and wine,

Made holy by the blessing of your Spirit,

And this bread becomes his Body and this wine becomes his Blood,

As we do this in memory of him.

3 We offer in thanksgiving now, this perfect gift of love,

The Body and the Blood of Christ your Son,

And this very gift we offer, you return to us to share,

As we do this in memory of him.

4 As we share in this communion, in the Body of our Lord,

May your Holy Spirit gather us as one,

So that we become one Body and one spirit in your love,

As we do this in memory of him.

5 As we gather as your people, we who share this Bread and Cup,

May we join in this great sacrifice of love,

And be filled with every blessing, every gift of grace and life.

As we do this in memory of him.

© 2020 P A Smith. Published by Willow Publishing.

This is another song from As One Voice for Kids that remains in Willow’s digital archive for purchase. There is also a snippet of the song to listen to there.

It probably is best for children. It is by Elizabeth and Nathaniel Ford.

1 Let there be joy in the house of the Lord.

Let there be praise for the God of all creation.

Let there be singing and shouting,

Thanksgiving and celebration,

Praising the God of all life.

2 Let there be love in the house of the Lord.

Let there be faith in the God of our salvation.

Let there be singing and shouting,

Thanksgiving and celebration,

Praising the God of all life.

© 1998 Elizabeth Ford and Nathaniel Ford. Published by Willow Publishing.

In my survey of songs at As One Voice/Willow in their digital archive I am coming across songs from As One Voice for Kids, which I have never covered, like this song from Nathaniel Ford. The text is based on Psalm 100:1-3.

It is intended as an a cappella round in up to 3 parts − maybe a children’s choir could do it. The sheet music at Willow has an optional percussion part. There is also a snippet of some children singing it – all near their 30s by now I’d wager.

My backing isn’t a capella and only has the first two melody lines.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness.

Raise your voices in joyful song and know that the Lord is God.

Gen Bryant is a young songwriter who wrote this song for a school graduation with the class of 2019 from Our Lady’s Primary, Craigieburn.

There’s a bit of the feel of Hunters and Collector’s Holy Grail in it, which would be a rather more edgy graduation song.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow and there are parts for all the school band.

I was just using the preview page so my backing busked the rest and is therefore inaccurate.

VERSE 1:
Oh how time flies
We’re not ready for all those goodbyes.
And when times get rough,
Will you be there to open my eyes?
‘Coz I can see the future before my eyes,
I know this is gonna be my time to shine!

VERSE 2:
Through the good times, and the bad times,
You’ve been there for me,
And I’ll keep holding on to our memories.
I’ll keep holding on to our memories.

‘Coz I can see the future before my eyes,
I know this is gonna be my time to shine.

Thank you for loving me
Thank you for being there for me
Thank you for the memories.
Now I’m ready to shine!

Last Time:
So until I can see you again
We know this is not the end
I’ll be there for you, you’ll always be my friend
And you’ll be there for me ‘til the end.

I’ll be a light shining bright in the world I’m gonna shine.
I’ll be a light shining bright, yeah you know I’m gonna shine.

Words by Class Of 2019 @ Our Lady’s Primary Craigieburn VIC
© 2019 Gen Bryant. Published by Willow Publishing

I am still looking at the previews at As One Voice/Willow to see what they have in their digital archive.

This one is a song of praise from Peter Grant. You can only see the refrain at the site but it sounds nice so I thought I’d make a backing for that as a mantra. The whole song is available at Willow along with an instrumental snippet. There is a full SATB arrangement + descant + Flute solo so go crazy.

Praise the Holy name of Jesus, Christ our Saviour, Praise Jesus our Lord!

© 2014 Peter Grant

This is a Patricia Smith song that seems ideal for primary school masses, with its condensed version of the New Testament for verses, and an invitation in the chorus especially for children getting ready for first communion who are overwhelmed.

Like a lot a lot of songs suitable for children, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work in an all ages parish, especially if the Gospel pericopes were in the readings for the day.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow.

My backing has a tempo of 105, but I’m not sure what style the author intended.

Refrain

No Matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done,

You are welcome at the table of the Lord.

No matter where you’ve been, no matter why you’ve come,

You belong in the Kingdom of the Lord.

1 Matthew was a tax collector,

hated and reviled by everyone he saw, except the Lord.

Jesus said, “Come follow me,”

and Matthew didn’t wait to see, left everything and followed him.

2 People brought their children up to Jesus but his friends said,

“No he’s tired today. Just go away!”

Jesus told them, “Let the children come to me,

don’t stop them for these little ones belong to God.

3 Zacchaeus wasn’t tall and when the Lord was passing by

he couldn’t see so he climbed a tree.

Jesus called, “Come down, Zacchaeus, come to eat with me,”

Zacchaeus knew that day that he was saved.

4 Peter was a fisherman a follower of Jesus

but he turned away. His friend? No Way!

Jesus called him back to be the one to build his Church.

“Now, Peter, you must feed, my lambs and sheep.”

5 Paul set out to persecute the followers of Jesus

till he lost his sight and saw the light.

Jesus chose him out of all to take his Gospel

to the world and spread the Word that he had heard.

© 2018 P A Smith. Published by Willow Publishing.

This one is very pretty chant written by Monica O’Brien and Gina Ogilvie.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow.

My backing has BIAB soloing over the instrumental verses.

Eternal is your love.

Faithful is your word.

Holy is your name.

God of mercy.

© 2015 Monica O’Brien and Gina Ogilvie. Published by Willow Publishing.

This Kevin Bates song was in As One Voice for Kids. It is a song about the stolen generations and reconciliation.

You can hear a snippet and buy the sheet music at Willow.

1 Around this land we love so well memories are burning.

Painful stories people tell, lost childhoods returning.

2 We listen as the people share their sad and wounded journey.

Healing takes long time to come, lost unity returning.

3 Sorry for the broken past. Our open hands are holding

Each others memories with great care, new culture we are molding.

4 Across the gaps our history made, a new bridge we are building.

Across the bridge we walk as one, new justice now creating.

5 God now watch our new found steps to reconciliation

And help us grow with gracious hearts new spirit in our nation.

© 2000 Kevin Bates. Published by Willow Publishing.

This song references the reconciliation walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the year 2000.

Nice though Kevin’s song is, the late great Archie Roach wrote the essential song about the stolen generation.