My Favorite Hymn
I think on a Sunday it's appropriate to share my favorite hymn with you. I first heard it when I was a little girl (in the 70s) and I fell in love with it. The music has a somewhat celtic lilt to it. It's rare, and hard to find in most hymnals. I doubt I'll ever hear it sung in church again. You might say it's the Intellectual Christian's Hymn (yes, it is possible to put "intellectual" and "christian" together in the same sentence - just unusual). It was written in 1971:
God of Concrete
by Frederick R.C. Clarke and Richard Granville Jones
God of concrete, God of steel,
God of piston and of wheel,
God of pylon, God of steam,
God of girder and of beam,
God of atom, God of mine:
All the world of power is thine.
Lord of cable, Lord of rail,
Lord of freeway and of mail,
Lord of rocket and of flight,
Lord of soaring satellite,
Lord of lightning's flashing line:
All the world of speed is thine.
Lord of science, Lord of art,
Lord of map and graph and chart,
Lord of physics and research,
Word of Bible, faith of church,
Lord of sequence and design:
All the world of truth is thine.
God whose glory fills the earth,
Gave the universe its birth,
Loosed the Christ with Easter's might,
Saves the world from evil's blight,
Claims us all by grace divine:
All the world of love is thine.
posted by Saur♥Kraut @ 1/22/2006 07:20:00 AM
22 comments
22 Comments:
I've not heard that one. Interesting lyrics - I'd love to hear the tune.
I've seen that in an old hymnal although I never could get our piantist to play it....
Interesting indeed. That's one that reflects our time. I wonder why it wouldn't be more common?
Mike
i've never heard that hymn, and by golly, i've heard a lot of hymns. the words are so concrete, and practical. and symbolic. and ironic. if only i knew the tune to go alone with it, i would sing it today. could you post the audio for us?
OK, I'll make you all a deal: If I can't find the sheet music or audio for it, I'll sing it and post it.
Oh please find the sheet music or audio.
I've never heard this one, either. Those are interesting lyrics.
Can hardly wait for the singing. I'll get out of my sick bed for that one!
Very nice lyrics. And thanks for a dose of the symphony today. It's just what I needed!
Interesting, I thought I'd heard them all, but I have never heard this one.
Uh, didn't you notice this has the "d" word in it? As in "design." Tsk, tsk.
That is lovely.
I'll have the music up by next week, no matter what.
interesting.
It's ok if you sing it...really. :->
Well, I hope you fail to find the audio or the notation for it. Curious to hear your singing voice.
Ooh, that is a good one. I need to share it with my pastor, he always loves these deep type hymes, so much so that he will oft' times read them from the pulpit. When they are read sometimes you actually put together what the writer was trying to say. Sometimes words seem to get lost in a song.
I vote for the singing.
The music posted here isn't the correct version -- or am I missing something? The right music (by the aforementioned Mr. Clark) is much more dissonant and exciting than that shown.
See United Church of Canada's Hymn Book. Unfortunately their new HB, 'Voices United', excludes this excellent number, which of course the stodgy at our church refuse to sing.
DArcy said...
The music posted here isn't the correct version -- or am I missing something?
Well, with hymns, it's considered standard practice to fit words to whatever melody has the same meter. In this case, the words for "God of Concrete" are stuck on another 777777 melody, something called NEW HORIZONS. The hymn we know as "Rock of Ages" is usually sung to TOPLADY, another 777777 melody (the numbers are line-lengths).
Oh, and in case it's not clear, "God of Concrete" has its own unique melody, CONCRETE.
This is one of my favorite hymns. I had never heard the music, so I wrote my own tune... You can hear it here:
http://www.godofconcrete.org
The tune also goes with "Rock of Ages"
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