Church Music

This is the last song from Emmanuel Worship‘s 2024 EP, Rivers in the Desert.

It was written by Madeleine Luciano and Dom Dougherty inspired by the images in Ezekiel 37.

The brave and the gifted will attempt singing it up the octave on the repeat of “Come and breathe new life…”. The chord charts and lead sheets are free at Emmanuel.

BIAB improvised the guitar solo.

1 You alone know the workings of my heart.
You alone know the ways I fall apart.
You alone know the ways that I can get back up.
You alone give me grace for fresh new starts.

CHORUS

No more fear in Jesus.
No more death it has no sting.
Only hope cause he’s freed us.
Will you breathe new life in these bones?
Come and breathe new life in these bones

VERSE 2

You alone Lord can raise these bones to life.
You spoke to my heart and now I’ll prophesy .
Open up the grave for all mankind to come to you.
We ask and so you answer us with truth.

CHORUS

Will you breathe new life in these bones?
Come and breathe new life in these bones.

CHORUS

INSTRUMENTAL

BRIDGE x4

Rise up, dry bones – hear the word of the Lord.

Rise up weary soul – breathe in me Sovereign Lord.

CHORUS

© 2023 Emmanuel Worship

This song continues the reflective nature of the songs from the Emmanuel Worship EP, Rivers in the Desert.

This is a sung meditation on the nature of what John O’Donohue called “thin places” and was written by Chiara Leeds and Madeleine Luciano.

The lead sheets and chord charts are free at Emmanuel Worship.

My backing takes advantage of BIAB improvising on a whistle during the instrumental breaks.

1 No space between us, no space between us,
Oh Yeshua, oh Yeshua.

2 No space between us, no space between us,
You’re our dwelling place, You’re our secret space.

3 No space between us, no space between us,
Oh Yeshua, oh Yeshua.

4 No space between us, no space between us,
As the veil wears thin, pull us deeper in.

INSTRUMENTAL

CHORUS
One foot in and one foot out, we choose you here we choose You now.
One foot in and one foot out, we choose you here we choose You now.

BRIDGE x2

So close up the distance so we don’t miss anything You’re doing.
Draw us even closer, take us even further, to taste your Kingdom.

INSTRUMENTAL

CHORUS x2

VERSE 1

VERSE 2

OUTRO x2
We’re all in, we’re all in x6

Oh Yeshua Oh Yeshua

© Emmanuel Worship

This is a heart felt song of personal reflection from Emmanuel Worship, written by Madeleine Luciano.

Think of it as a new take on “How Can I Keep from Singing.” I should mention that repeated close listening and entering all the chords and notes into Band in a Box and then fiddling the instruments in and out, means I spend quite a lot of time on these Emmanuel songs, and while many are not liturgical at all, they are very moving and a useful corrective for a crusty old cynic like me.

The lead sheets and chord charts are available at Emmanuel Worship. I think I’ve got the order right, because the chord chart doesn’t really reflect how they sing it, the lead sheet is more accurate.

VERSE

So many things have been said about You, so many stories I’ve heard about You
But all I want to know is what is true.
They sing so many different songs about You, so many words to describe You
And all I want to know is what is true.

CHORUS

Come and show me so I can sing about You
Come so I can sing about what is true

POST-CHORUS A

I wanna know who You are, in my own words I wanna tell the stories too.
I wanna sing, I wanna sing, I’ll sing about You, just like they do.
I wanna sing, I’ll sing about You, just like they do.

HALF VERSE

CHORUS

POST-CHORUS A

BRIDGE

So I’m following Your ways, I’m starting a new page.
I’m writing my new ways, I wanna follow You – I’ll follow you all my days x4


I wanna sing about you all my days.

CHORUS

POST-CHORUS B

Now that I know who You are, in my own words I wanna tell the stories too.
Now I will sing, now I will sing, I’ll sing about You just like they do.

I’m gonna sing, I’ll sing about You just like they do.
I’m gonna sing, I’ll sing about You just like they do.
I’m gonna sing, I’ll sing about You just like they do.

© Emmanuel Worship

My next project for hymnal archeology is to find all the leftover songs from Australia’s Catholic Worship Book 1 that I haven’t yet blogged from other sources.

Before I do that, I want to finish up the Emmanuel Worship EPs from last year. I was very grateful to Samuel Mead, whose parish’s Youth Led Masses at The Gap in Brisbane use Emmanuel material, for letting me know that the lead sheets for these EPs had been posted rather than just the chord charts. It makes a lot of difference to see what they are doing and their melodies so intricate and syncopated that figuring the melody line without a lead sheet is particularly difficult and time consuming. He also helped me with some MIDI files, but he is not blame for the backing I made. The chords and lead sheets are here.

The Gap’s YLM have been using “We Are the Church” from the Emmanuel EP, Rivers in the Desert for communion, but it is also an entrance song, a Pentecost song and a Praise and Worship song. It was written by Madelaine Luciani and Dom Dougherty.

This EP seems more somewhat reflective than the Streams in the Wasteland EP also released in 2024.

Making backings for these songs, even with the melody line, on BIAB is more difficult than most hymns, due to the syncopation and irregular repetition. For more typical hymns you can just put a repeating chorus and be finished in 5 minutes. Not so with Emmanuel.

I’ve gone electronica here. Wherever they say free praise I let BIAB solo.

1 You – You were there, shaping earth and skies above,

Giving life and giving love. You were the word,

Though the world knew you not

You occupied our hearts

CHORUS

We are the church of Jesus Christ, we come to worship You .
Holy is the Lord of hea ven and earth, come bow before our King.

2 Grace upon grace, the Truth is Jesus Christ, resurrection light

Fall like the dove, Holy Spirit come, we receive your power.

BRIDGE x2
Come and eat, come and drink, come and be filled.
Come and see, come and rest, come and be still.
For the One Who is here, the holy one, our Lord.

CHORUS x2

OUTRO x2

You are Holy, You are Holy, You Ho -ly Lord

You are worthy, You are worthy, You worthy Lord From beginning to the end,

Your covenant will stand
Now we worship, till you come again

BRIDGE x2

CHORUS

© Emmanuel Worship

The ever prolific Erwin Cabucos has sent me a song he wrote about Jose Maria de Manila.

He told me about the man:

The new beato Blessed Jose Maria de Manila was beatified by Pope Francis on Oct 13, 2013 in Tarragona, Spain. A Filipino with Spanish blood; he grew up and wished to remain in the Philippines, hence the title. His feast day occurs every Nov 6, close to Christ the King. Significantly, his writings, devotions and last words were of: ‘Long live Christ the King!’ He was a friar of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and a martyr during the Spanish Civil War. He would soon be the 3rd saint to come from the Philippines following St Lorenzo Ruiz and St Pedro Calungsod.

I need the help of fellow Catholics to broaden my appreciation of the faith, as my experience is a narrow Australian one.

This song will be very good for Catholics from the Phillipines, some of whom have read this blog over the years and the the many Australian Catholics originally from the Phillipines. Diluting the Irish Catholic dominance of Australian Catholicism might assist participation in the mass. I don’t think that has been a strong suit of the Irish in Australia.

The sheet music is available here.

I made a backing:

1. God of hope you have given us a beacon of holy life,

Jose Maria de Manila.

He showed us to trust in You and stand up for the faith,

As we strive to follow Christ to heaven.

Refrain

Long live Christ the King, Viva Cristo hear our needs and pleas, we pray.

Jose Maria de Manila, pray for us, ipanalangin mo kami.

Pray for us, ruega por nosotros

2. God of faith you have given us martyrs from this world,

Like Jose Maria de Manila.

He showed us to embrace the trials we face,

As we hold to you for strength and grace

(Refrain)

3. God of love you have given us an icon of charity,

Jose Maria de Manila.

He showed us to live your Word in justice and peace,

As we care for those broken and lost.

(Refrain)

© 2025 Erwin Cabucos

There is one more Peter Gagen song on Father Paul Gurr’s record, Come As You Are, and it is “Ruth’s Song”. There is a Yahweh alert that will need modification if it is to be used.

I also have a copy of his sheet music album, The Comforter that I will get to soon. It is basically a Brian Boniwell album sung by Father Paul Gurr.

Refrain

Wherever you go I will go too.

Wherever you live I live with you.

All your people will be mine too

And your God will be my God.

1 Oh praise Yahweh all the earth, serve Him with a glad heart.

Come into his presence with songs of joy, Oh praise Yahweh all the earth.

2 Know that Yahweh is God, he made us, we belong to him.

We are his people His very own, know that Yahweh is God.

3 Walk through his gates giving thanks, enter His house full of praise.

Give praise to the Lord and bless his name, walk through His gates giving thanks.

Gurr’s version is quite the production with tempo changes and echoing lines.

The next song is Deidre Browne’s “Carry Me Lord”, which I already blogged here.

Then there is this setting of Miserere by Peter Gagen based on Psalm 51 as found on Father Paul Gurr’s album, Come As You Are.

Gurr sings it up an octave after the first verse. I wouldn’t.

It has obvious applications for Lent and a second rite. The sheet music is out of print, so I suggest the second hand market.

Refrain

Lord have mercy, in all goodness;

In your wondrous tenderness, wash away my sins.

1 Wash me clean of guilt, Lord, cleanse me from my sins;

For I now my failures crowding my life.

2 Let your joy and gladness come, let these bones rejoice again.

Make in me a clean heart, a spirit fesh and strong.

3 Lord, do not abandon me, keep me in your presence.

Be to me a saviour, wash me white as snow.

4 Let my broken spirit be my gift to you;

And Lord, may I always come to you in love.

©1986 Spectrum Publications

This is the famous setting by Allegri:

Continuing with Father Paul Gurr’s record, Come As You Are, he sang Bruce Dynan’s, “Work of the Carpenter”.

I’m rather more interested in these songs than the singer, but unfortunately the this song’s sheet music is out of print, and I found it second hand. I can’t find it on OneLicence either, and I suspect it just failed to find a place in liturgical use. You could see it as an entrance, but it may have too challenging a range and was feted to be a for a soloist like the good Father. Some of the lyrics slip in Yoda syntax too, for example, “special each one”.

Chorus

We are work of the carpenter, the fruit of his vineyard, the earth on his hands.

And the work of the carpenter, builds a strong table, offers a wine.

Stay for a while with the work of the carpenter.

1 Wood of the earth, sturdy and true,

Trusting the hand of it’s sharper.

And we know potter will mould, constant his hand.

Special each one he’s creating. Making us…

Chorus

2 Worker will prune, vine after vine,

Each with a season to grow and to love. For we are…

Chorus

3 We of the earth, broken and torn,

Breaking the bread of the friend of ours. All of us…

Chorus

© 1986 Spectrum Publications

This is a lovely surprise. It is a sung prayer from the wonderful Deidre Browne that graced Paul Gurr’s Come As You Are record.

I’m not sure of its place – maybe personal reflection in Lent or Advent or as an aid to contemplation.

It’s another song that is out of print. I wonder if the Loreto Sisters would be able to publish a definitive collection of her music, which is scattered about at present and hard to find.

My backing is a little over pretty.

Refrain

As with a friend, face to face, time spent with you.

Mystery of love, sacred space, time spent with you.

1 But sometimes we doubt, just like Thomas that you’re really there.

We refuse to believe.

Closed doors cannot block out your love if we only believe you will come.

2 But sometimes we fear, just like Peter,

That more will be asked than we know how to bear.

Closed doors cannot block out your love if we only believe you will come.

3 But sometimes we fail just like Magdalen.

Lost in her tears she can’t recognise you.

Closed doors cannot block out your love if we only believe you will come.

I have already covered the next two songs on the record by Paul Gurr, Carmelite, Come As You Are.

“Mary’s Song” by Peter Gagen confused me when Emma noted it’s use in her parish, but Sam tracked down it’s origin on this album. I blogged it here. There is a Yahweh alert.

“Eucharist” by Leo Watt has been reborn as “Take This Bread and Cup of Wine”, which I blogged here. It is now available from Willow, which I suppose means Leo retrieved the copyright from Spectrum. Well done.

“Quiet and Still” is based on Psalm 139 and written by Bruce Dynan. It is a sung prayer and the music is lovely. I can’t find the sheet music for sale anywhere, so the second hand market may be an option.

1 If I sing to the heavens, you are there.

If I speak to the wounded, you are there.

If I call to the sunrise, you call to me, quiet and still.

2 With my words high and mighty, you are there.

With my song low and hurting, you are there.

For the ways that you know me outnumber the sands themselves.

3 If the night should surround me are you there?

Is this night but the stillness of your hands?

If I should lose my own word in the womb quiet and still…

Are you there? [key change]

4 In the ringing of the heavens you are there?

in the singing and the sounding you are there.

In the voice of a child in the word of a friend,

Quiet and still. Quiet and still.

© 1986 Spectrum