Went to a funeral on Tuesday for a dear elderly lady from our church (and SpecialK's grandmother-in-law). One of her only requests was that a hymn sung to the same tune as "Danny Boy" be used at her funeral. That had Fr A in a bit of a quandry--he could get the music, but couldn't find words! He finally succeeded in finding these, and it was very moving and lovely:
O Christ the same through all our story's pages,
Our loves and hope, our failures and our fears;
Eternal Lord, the King of all the ages,
Unchanging still, amid the passing years:
O living Word, the source of all creation,
Who spread the skies, and set the stars ablaze,
O Christ the same, who wrought man's whole salvation,
We bring our thanks for all our yesterdays.
O Christ the same, the friend of sinners, sharing
Our inmost thoughs, the secrets none can hide,
Still as of old upon your body bearing
The marks of love, in triumph glorified:
O Son of Man, who stooped for us from heaven,
O Prince of life, in all your saving power,
O Christ the same, to whom our hearts are given,
We bring our thanks for this the present hour.
O Christ the same, secure within whose keeping
Our lives and loves, our days and years remain,
Our work and rest, our waking and our sleeping,
Our calm and storm, our pleasure and our pain:
O Lord of love, for all our joys and sorrows,
For all our hopes, when earth shall fade and flee,
O Christ the same, for all our brief tomorrows,
We bring our thanks for all that is to be.
-----Timothy Dudley-Smith b.1926
That's very beautiful! I've copied it and printed it out. I played and sang the song and it is perfect. Was it written to Danny Boy or to another tune? Kitty