#SundaySounds: God Be With You



I tried to choose a hymn that would be fitting for Memorial Day.



Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel that died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday is now observed on the last Monday of May, having been observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970.

Many of the popular songs we know and love have a special story behind them. That being said, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”, which was written by Jeremiah Rankin, was simply composed so his church choir could have something to sing when they parted each week. Rankin was the minister for the First Congregational Church in Washington, D.C. and said this about the hymn, “Written…as a Christian goodbye, it was called forth by no person or occasion, but was deliberately composed as a Christian hymn on basis of the etymology of “goodbye,” which is “God be with you.” He got the idea for the first stanza of the song when he saw the dictionary definition of "good-bye" was short for "God be with you." The song was written in 1882 when Rankin was 54 years old.
While Rankin was responsible for writing the lyrics, William Tomer, who was the music director at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, composed the music.

The hymn became the official closing song for the Christian Endeavor Convention. Dr. Rankin said: “It has had no sweeter recognition than that given it by its adoption by the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor. Long, long, may they sing it!”

During the war, many postcards were printed with hymn lyrics to help soldiers in battle feel at ease. One such postcard was a colorful picture of soldiers going to battle with the following verse: “God be with you till we meet again; keep love's banner floating o'er you, smite death's threatening wave before you; God be with you till we meet again.”


“God Be With You Till We Meet Again”

 Lyrics by Jeremiah Rankin
Music by William Tomer
   
God be with you till we meet again;
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus' feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet again;
Neath His wings protecting hide you;
Daily manna still provide you;
God be with you till we meet again.

Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus' feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet again;
With the oil of joy anoint you;
Sacred ministries appoint you;
God be with you till we meet again.

Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus' feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet again;
When life's perils thick confound you;
Put His arms unfailing round you;
God be with you till we meet again.

Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus' feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet again;
Ended when for you earth's story,
Israel's chariot sweep to glory;
God be with you till we meet again.

Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus' feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.






I am always open to suggestions for songs to be used, as well as other suggestions you might have for the blog. If you would rather not share that info in the comments, you may email your suggestions.











Comments

  1. I never heard it before, but it's a very nice song. It sounded like a song one might hear played in a church scene from the old 'Andy Griffith Show'. And, I assure you, that's a *GOOD* thing!

    The "Good News" (aka "Gospel") is that, according to The Holy Bible, Jesus is returning very soon! 2029 - give or take a year. Which means, of course, that the official 7-Year Tribulation period for the world (leading up to "Armageddon") will begin in late 2022 or early 2023.

    Very soon, it will be revealed who the Biblical "anti-Christ" is and what the Biblical "mark of the beast" (666) really is.

    As the old Chinese saying goes: We are living in "interesting times".

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or... if you're following the Cult Mom - Lori Vallow Daybell case, it could be as early as July of this year.

      Glad that you liked this one. It's one of my favorites.

      Hope you're having a good holiday!

      ~M

      Delete
    2. I hadn't heard a single thing about that "Cult Mom" bit. So I just now watched 7 minutes of a nearly 17-minutes long video and shut it off. That's too much for me. I just don't have time for the latest O.J. Simpson-like nonsense. I got no time for the Kardashians or Britney Spears' wardrobe malfunction, either.

      Life is too short as it is.

      Happy Memorial Day, MMQE! See ya at the next round of BOTB. (*THAT* I have a little time for.)

      ~ D-FensDogG
      STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

      Delete
  2. Great selection, Mary! I had no clue about the origin of this hymn. I've sung it many times in church, and it is one of my absolute favorite hymns. Had no clue the great Jim Reeves sang it either. Gave me goosebumps! Wonderful message of praise to the Lord. Thanks, Mary!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Arnold! I've discovered quite a few hidden gems while doing this new segment of the blog. I'm truly happy that I was inspired to add SundaySounds as a weekly installment, as it has blessed my life.

      Hope all is well with you and your gazillion children.

      ~Mary

      Delete
    2. Our gazillion kids are well! I hope you've had a great Memorial Day. I agree with you--I think you were inspired to add SundaySounds! Especially with Covid-19, and a lot of folks not being able to go to church and be uplifted by hymns. You rule, Mary!

      Delete

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