"Everlasting God" (The story behind the song)
“Be Thou My Vision”
The text (Rop tú mo baile) is often attributed to Dallan Forgaill in the 8th
century; in any case, this text had been a part of Irish monastic tradition for
centuries before the hymn itself was written. It was translated from Old Irish
into English by Mary E. Byrne in “Eriú," Journal of the School of Irish
Learning, in 1905. The English text was first versified by Eleanor H. Hull in
1912, and this version of the lyrics is the most common. However, slight
variations of these lyrics are sometimes seen. The first verse of Hull's
version follows:
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Thus, the English translation of the hymn itself is fairly recent and the
Elizabethan vocabulary and structure is somewhat an anachronism. Be Thou My
Vision has become the quintessential Irish hymn in English-speaking churches
and is often sung around St. Patrick's Day. Despite its traditional nature and the
seemingly archaic quality of the text, Be Thou My Vision has become a popular
song performed by Contemporary Christian musicians, such as Rebecca St. James
and Ginny Owens.
"Holy Says it All"
sorry no back ground on this song yet but here is a nice video from Christ for the Nations.
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