Being a born-again Christian, I have recently been reminded of some of the hymns from my youth, that I loved to sing in our school assembly. Here are just a few of my favourites.
1. When a knight won his spurs, in the stories of old,
He was gentle and brave, he was gallant and bold.
With a shield on his arm and a lance in his hand,
For God and for valour, he rode through the land.
No charger have I, and no sword by my side,
Yet still to adventure and battle I ride.
Though back into storyland giants have fled,
And the knights are no more, and the dragons are dead.
Let Faith be my shield and let Joy be my steed,
'Gainst the dragons of Anger, the ogres of Greed.
And let me set free with the sword of my youth,
From the castle of Darkness, the Power of the Truth.
2. Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak, but He is strong.
Chorus
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me, He who died
Heaven's gate to open wide.
He will wash away my sin
That His child may enter in.
Jesus loves me, loves me still
When I'm very weak and I'll.
From His shining throne on high,
Watches o'er me while I lie.
Jesus loves me, he will stay
Close beside me all the way.
If I trust Him, when I die
He will take me home on high.
3. Daisies are our silver,
Buttercups our gold.
This is all the treasure
We can have or hold.
Raindrops are our diamonds
And the morning dew,
While for shining sapphires
We've the speedwell blue.
These shall be our emeralds -
Leaves so new and green.
Roses are the reddest
Rubies ever seen.
God who gave these treasures
To your children small
Teach us how to love them
And grow like them all.
Make us bright as silver,
Make us good as gold.
Warm as summer roses
Let our hearts unfold.
Gay as leaves in April
Clear as drops of dew,
God who made the speedwell
Keep us true to you.
4. Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like, no cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray
You bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day
Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of our day.
Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of our day.
Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of our day.
There are so many more, like "Morning has broken", " All things bright and beautiful", "I vow to thee, my country", and my personal favourite, "Jerusalem" - I always loved the end piece of music, and I can still hear it in my mind.
Other Christian songs have replaced all of these, and while I love the songs we sing in church today, such as "Oceans" and "Running" - they are so much more up-to-date - I will always hold these old favourites in my heart.
