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It is Advent! This is my favorite season. No doubt I will write more about that elsewhere. At this point, suffice it to say that what I enjoy the most is the anticipation. This song, for me, encapsulates the Advent season. It is a time of waiting, after all. The uke is well suited for this song for some reason. My belief is that it has to do with the stripped-down aesthetic of the tune and the haunting minor keyness of it all. It is haunting for a reason. The song is set before the Christmas story when rejoicing is still a hope rather than a reality. This year I--at least--feel that a bit more. The video fills the "Year of Uke" parameters with me (with pre-pandemic & pre-surgery hair) playing the uke and--along with Lee Manuel--leading the congregation. Here is what I suspect is the version we played... O Come O Come Emmanuel 13th Century Latin plainsong Text Transl. John M Neale and Henry Coffin (Verse 1) Em Am D Em O come, O come, Emmanuel G Am Em And ransom captive Israel Am G D That mourns in lonely exile here Em Am D G Until the Son of God appear (Chorus) D Bm Am Em Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel G Am Em Shall come to thee O Israel (Verse 2) Em Am D Em O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer G Am Em Our spirits by Thine advent here Am G D Disperse the gloomy clouds of night Em Am D G And death's dark shadows put to flight (Chorus) (Verse 3) Em Am D Em O come thou Wisdom from on high G Am Em And order all things far and nigh Am G D To us the path of knowledge show Em Am D G And cause us in her ways to go (Chorus) (Verse 4) Em Am D Em O come, Desire of nations, bind G Am Em All people in one heart and mind Am G D Bid envy strife and quarrels cease Em Am D G Fill all the world with heaven's peace (Chorus)
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I don't usually permit my job to bleed into my ukeness too much but--since I need to do a make-up uke, I am going to now! #7 is "Old 100" and this clip includes a reading of the 100th psalm and a little bit from my sermon where I talk about the tune a bit. It ends abruptly because my sermon is elsewhere! In the video I only play the first verse but the others are easily searched on the interwebs. Here is that first verse with the chords: D G A D All people that on earth do dwell, G D A Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice. G A D Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell; G A G D Come ye before Him and rejoice.¨ Hey Folks, I am catching up with a hastily recorded version of "Leaving Liverpool". This has a fun sea shanty feel and a very sing-able chorus. As per usual there are lots of verses. The chord progression for the verses is D/G/D/A/D/G/D/A/D Basically think "DG Dad" twice and you get to the end. the chord progression for the chorus is A/G/D/A/D/G/D/A/D so if you put an "AGDA" before your "DG Dad" you will be fine. ;-) Oh fare the well my own true love I am sailing far far away I am bound for California And I don't know if I'll ever come again Chorus: So fare the well my own true love When I return united we will be It's not the leaving of Liverpool that's grieving me But my darling, when I think of thee Fare well to Lower Bedford Street Anson Terrace and Park Lane I am bound away for to leave you But I don't know if I'll ever come again Chorus I have sailed with Burgess once before He is a man that I know quite well If a man is a sailor he'll get along But if not then he is sure for Hell Chorus Oh the sun is in the harbor love And you know that I can't remain And I know it will be a long, long year Before I see you again Chorus ...The life of a Pastor--much like everyone's lives these days--is a busy one and I found myself slipping behind in my Year of Uke! We cannot have that. This is a classic folk song that has been covered by everyone and so you should cover it too. Hey! I didn't forget. I am just a day behind! Here is Michael Row the Boat Ashore, played a bit faster that normal. The chords are easy; C, F, C, Em, F CGC. The first verse/chorus that can be thrown in every other time or a bunch of times is, of course, "Michael Row the Boat Ashore alleluia/Michael Row the Boat Ashore Alleluia! The send verse keeps the same structure my repeating the line twice with "Sister helps to trim the sail." The next two use more words: "River Jordan is chilly and cold/chills the body but not the soul" Then, "River Jordan is deep and wide, milk and honey on the other side" Or you can reverse them...it doesn't matter. Then you can go google Bobby Darrin's versions... So happy Election Day! I was getting ready for Sunday worship by putting together (along with some other folks) aversion of the song "When the World is On Fire." It seemed apropos somehow. It fits the mood. It is not actually a political song but a religious one. That said, the title sets the context for now and for the 1930's when it was first a hit for the Carter Family. Later Woody Guthrie used the tune for "This Land is Your Land" Anyway, here are the words if you want to sing along! When the World is On Fire Oh, my loving mother, when the world's on fire Don't you want God's bosom to be your pillow? Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me I'm going to heaven when the world's on fire And I want God's bosom to be my pillow Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me Oh, my loving brother, when the world's on fire Don't you want God's bosom to be your pillow Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me Oh, my loving sinner, when the world's on fire Don't you want God's bosom to be your pillow Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me Don't you want to go to heaven when the world's on fire Don't you want God's bosom to be your pillow Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me That is it! It is totally worth checking out the Carter Family version by the way, along with a number of the later covers that slightly alter the tune. |
AuthorI play a number of musical instruments. In addition to the ukulele I play the mandolin, guitar, rhythm bones, and a few other things. This page, though, is about my uke project. I recently decided to post once a week on a uke-themed topic. Most of these posts will be simple songs you can sing along to. Maybe later I will do more informational videos as well. Archives
August 2021
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