This one started with a movie. Long long (long) ago when our artistic director was a teenager, he was struck by the melody used by Steven Spielberg in \"Empire of the Sun\". He did some research and found it was a traditional Welsh lullaby called \"Suo Gan\". He scoured the hymnbook to find a hymn that would match it, and found a hymn by the Canadian preacher A.B. Simpson, founder of the \"Christian and Missionary Alliance\". It was languishing with some awful melody and unsung. Colin set it to Suo Gan, and later, while serving on the editorial team, included it in the 1998 edition of \"Songs of Victory\", the hymnbook published by The Faith Mission in Scotland, where you will find it at number 419.
Words: A.B. Simpson (1843-1919)
Music: Suo Gan, Welsh traditional
Set and arranged by Colin Peckham
Performed by:
Judith Orr
Mark Calder
Colin Peckham (piano)
David Munn (cello)
A lockdown performance from Origin Scotland
Lyrics:
Are you now in depths of sorrow
Where no arm can reach so low?
There is One whose arms almighty
Reach beyond your deepest woe.
God Eternal is your refuge,
Let Him still your wild alarms;
Underneath your deepest sorrow,
Are the everlasting arms.
Other arms grow faint and weary,
These can never faint, nor fail;
Others reach our mounts of blessing,
These our lowest loneliest vale.
O that all might know His friendship!
O that all might see His charms!
O that all might have beneath them
Jesus everlasting arms.
Underneath us, O how easy;
We have not to mount on high,
But to sink into His fulness,
And in trustful weakness lie.
And we find our humbling failures
Save us from the strength that harms!
We may fail, but underneath us
Are the everlasting arms.
Arms of Jesus! fold me closer,
To Your strong and loving breast,
Till my spirit on Your bosom
Finds its everlasting rest;
And when times last sands are sinking,
Shield my heart from all alarms,
Softly whispering, Underneath thee,
Are the everlasting arms.
