Kevin's Watch

Here are three that I love!

"O Sacred Head Now Wounded"
"O sacred head, now wounded..
With grief and sha-ame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded, with thorns thy only crown..."

Jesus, Lover of my Soul
"Jesus, Lover of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly!
Leave, oh, lea-eve me not alone,
while the tempest still is nigh!

Hide, me O, my savior hide,
Till this breath of life is past..
Safe into the haven guide:
O, re-cei-eve my soul at last!"

He Will Hold Me Fast
(apparently, I haven't spent a lot of time finding online renditions of the other two that I like.)

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini אִם-אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם-- תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי.
Tidback leshoni lichiki, lichiki תִּדְבַּק-לְשׁוֹנִי, לְחִכִּי--
Im lo ezkarechi im lo a’aleh et Yerushalayim אִם-לֹא אֶזְכְּרֵכִי:
אִם-לֹא אַעֲלֶה, אֶת-יְרוּשָׁלִַם--
Al rosh simchati עַל, רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָתִי.

Change - Y-Love & DeScribe

(Crown Heights!! Chosen few crew!
Describe! Modular Y- Love! Prodezra in the building, building!
Prodezra Beats now…Prodezra Beats now…
He’s a genius I’m tellin’ ya…
If I forsake you Jerusalem….ayyy….yoooo!!)

(Chorus)
Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini
Tidback leshoni lichiki, lichiki
Im lo ezkarechi im lo a’aleh et Yerushalayim
Jerusalem (Jah!)
Al rosh simchati

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini
Spit fire! Now my brothas you can just roll with me
Im lo ezkarechi im lo a’aleh et Yerushalayim
Jerusalem (Jah!)
Al rosh simchati

It’ a new world advanced technology
Everybody got access, can you feel the energy
Satellites and televisions, straight up infinity
Look at all the changes man, can you see the prophecy

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini
Anachnu chaim ba’olam kol kach achzari
It’s the real deal, black & white, BOOM! In your face
Do the One Two step, and slow down the pace aye,

Describe! With the lyrical vibe
Wake up and smell the napalm cuz the world is alive
We’re far from perfect, yeah I know, but we’re movin’ too slow
So I’m rappin’ bout a change, feel the beat, let’s go!

All I wanna do is change a little bit of you
By making music that can spread out some light, ooh, ooh
It’s real dark, we just need to light a spark,
And the fire will just blaze up, d’ blaze up the night!

(Chorus)
Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini
Tidback leshoni lichiki, lichiki
Im lo ezkarechi im lo a’aleh et Yerushalayim
Jerusalem (Jah!)
Al rosh simchati

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini
Spit fire! Now my brothas you can just roll with me
Im lo ezkarechi im lo a’aleh et Yerushalayim
Jerusalem (Jah!)
Al rosh simchati

Ir ha'kodesh, shoreh shmo sham
La'kol - ha'shoresh – The source of everything!
On the ground, the stones shine!
The water gon' flow – check the fire in the sky!
Then the horn gon' blow, then we all gon' fly...

Connect to the Redemption! Walk into the sunrise,
Go across the Wi Fi, download the Most High!
Believe in the dream, both eyes to the prize
The place that all nations gonna praise One G-d

Materialistic think it’s gonna reign perpetual
Destruction comes eventual, we tryin’ to rise for festivals
Nation that originated here on these streets,
Inspiration that’s contained in this mp3

Bring the opposite of apocalypse, the positive uprisin’
Soul directed towards the Talpiyot, with quotes from the Prophets
Words on the scroll in the remainder of the Temple
Yeah, the 34th meridian stays central to the mental!

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini
Tidback leshoni lichiki, lichiki
Im lo ezkarechi im lo a’aleh et Yerushalayim
Jerusalem (Jah!)
Al rosh simchati

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini
Spit fire! Now my brothas you can just roll with me
Im lo ezkarechi im lo a’aleh et Yerushalayim
Jerusalem (Jah!)
Al rosh simchati

While we livin’ in a reality that’s physical
I gotta look and internally to reveal the spiritual, man
Make ya hands go, bring it back now
Feel ya heart go and ya soul goes

The digital reality, the soul into technology
The unity, the policy, to bring that new theology
Now clap for me, now bring it down for me
Come on, clap for me; now bring it back for me

Yo! Don’t go political with all the individual
Divisions that be splittin’, don’t be trippin’, that be infantile
Ya hands go, bring it back now
Feel ya heart go and your souls goes…Jyaaaaaa!!!

Yo I can’t help but be political, and keep it individual
But when we on the spiritual, yo one is indivisible,
Now clap for me, now bring it down for me
Now just clap for me!

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini
Tidback leshoni lichiki, lichiki
Im lo ezkarechi im lo a’aleh et Yerushalayim
Jerusalem (Jah!)
Al rosh simchati

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Y’mini
Spit fire! Now my brothas you can just roll with me
Im lo ezkarechi im lo a’aleh et Yerushalayim
Jerusalem (Jah!)
Al rosh simchati

Yo! Describe with the lyrical vibe
The Chosen Few…yeah yeah yeah…The Chosen Few!
Y-Love, go beyond the norm, my eyes directed towards Zion
We on, be on!
Describe with the lyrical vibe, we give power to the people
Spreadin’ light, da power’s on!
Y-Love, the Modular, the function, we risin’
With gumption, I gotta say something I’m runnin’!

Does "Spirit In The Sky" count as a hymn? 'Cause I like that one quite a bit.

I like this song, and perhaps it could count as a hymn, though I don't recall ever hearing it in any church.

LOVE LIFTED ME
(Written by Howard E. Smith, James Rowe, Michael T. Smith)

I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea

Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me.
Now safe am I.

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me.

Souls in danger look above
Jesus completely saves
He will lift you by his love
Out of the angry waves

But the master of the sea
Billows His will obey
He your savior wants to be
Be saved today

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me.

The Hebrew words in the song I posted is a psalm which I count as a hymn...

Cord Hurn wrote:I like this song, and perhaps it could count as a hymn, though I don't recall ever hearing it in any church.

LOVE LIFTED ME
(Written by Howard E. Smith, James Rowe, Michael T. Smith)

I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea

Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me.
Now safe am I.

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me.

Souls in danger look above
Jesus completely saves
He will lift you by his love
Out of the angry waves

But the master of the sea
Billows His will obey
He your savior wants to be
Be saved today

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me.

This is a standard in many Southern churches.

"Love lifted me" was sung a lot in the Free Methodist church I grew up in; it's definitely a hymn.

Thank you, Menolly, dlbpharmd. and dANdeLION, I'm glad it counts! My religious background is mainly Seventh-Day Adventist, and with relatives I have been to Lutheran, Catholic, and Nazarene churches, where I never heard it sung in service. I've basically heard it sung by artists like Kenny Rogers and others, and always loved the melody and words of comfort.

Sometimes, the songs that speak most clearly to your spirit may not be from a liturgical source. Truth has many paths, not all of which tread the well-worn and traditional byways.

My personal faves:

And Can It Be? (Amazing Love, How Can It Be)
Amazing Grace
Lily of the Valley
How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints of the Lord
Blest Be the Tie That Binds
What Wondrous Love Is This?
All Hail the Pow'r of Jesus' Name
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
I Have Found a Friend In Jesus
Be Thou My Vision (which is one of the oldest songs still current in Western civilization)

And I think my absolute, all-time favorite is: Here Is Love Vast As the Ocean

The background of this song is not widely known. In 1873, Horatio Spafford wrote this after suffering a number of tragedies which possibly made him start feeling a bit like "Job".

At the very height of his financial and professional success, Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford had.

In 1873, he scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much needed vacation and time to recover from the tragedy. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some unexpected last minute business. Several days later he received notice that his family's ship had encountered a collision. All four of his daughters drowned only his wife had survived.

With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving Anna in England. It was on this trip that he penned those now famous words, When sorrow like sea billows roll it is well, it is well with my soul.


It is Well with My Soul
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

And Lord haste the day, when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

I Vow to Thee my Country and Jerusalem (no nationalism intended - just incredibly stirring pieces of music).