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Another for the Winkworth songbook

Posted by sara-garrard

This is the first Catherine Winkworth hymn that I actually wrote on ukulele, and it’s got a nice chill feel I think. I also had a go at modernising the language slightly here, and a few line rewrites of my own for rhymes that I broke on the way.

God, you are my rock of strength

God, you are my rock of strength,
And my home is in your arms,
You will send me help at length,
And I will feel no wild alarms.
Sin nor Death can pierce the shield
Your defence has o’er me thrown,
Up to you myself I yield,
And my sorrows are your own.

When my trials are too long,
Unto you I look and wait,
Knowing none, though keen and strong,
Can my faith in you abate,
And this faith I long have nursed,
Comes from you, a gift so free;
You my heart did open first,
You have set this hope in me.

‘Neath the shadow of your wings
Keep me ever close to you,
In the peace your mercy brings,
Keep me all my journey through;
Be my All, in all I do,
Let me ever seek your will.
Where the heart to God is true,
All is peaceful, calm, and still.

Night-songs

Posted by sara-garrard

Still working on those ukulele skills… They definitely have a Ways to go. But I recorded some of my old (from all the way back in March, so old) songs again and I think there’s definitely progress!

I also wrote a couple new ones. They are in a slightly different style, not sure if there’s any one reason for that… Again I’m using some old children’s poems, in this case from ‘Enchanted Tulips‘.

By the fire
River river
Night

Sometime I might add chords or music — that and organise all these into sets now there are getting to be more of them… those are some possible next steps.

Here is my heart (NOT Catherine Winkworth songbook)

Posted by sara-garrard

This was my first try live video-ing a Winkworth song…. only to find out it’s actually not a Winkworth song. The words were in fact translated from the German by Dora Rappard.

These — ESPECIALLY any ukulele attempts I make like this one— are going to be live and far from perfect performances, and I am making some very weird concentrating faces. I have so many songs like this that I want to just get out there in some format so they’re there and I can move on to new ones! This is me at full ukulele capacity at the moment, after a few takes, but I’ll keep practising. I’m honestly pretty pleased that I have a song I can play with a complete uke part at all, even if it’s rather rough.

HERE is my heart — my God, I give it thee ;
I heard thee call and say —
Not to the world, my child, but unto me —
I heard, and will obey:
Here is love’s offering to my King,
Which in glad sacrifice I bring —
Here is my heart.

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