We sang ‘Saviour While My Heart Is Tender’ this morning.
Cyberhymnal lists the hymn as written by John Burton Jr and provides six verses.
The tunes listed are 8.7.8.7. meter with the 8.7.8.7.D tune Hyfrydol offered as an alternative that joins the verses into three stanzas.
In the Rejoice! hymnbook five verses of the hymn are set to a different tune, an adaption of a Russian Folk tune which is titled ‘Stenka Razin’. Those of you familiar with the music of the Australian folk/pop group ‘The Seekers’ would recognise part of the hymn melody in expanded form in their adaption of the folk tune as the melody for their song ‘The Carnival Is Over’.
It is a wonderful choice. As a folk tune it is at once timeless as well as contemporary.
Here’s the lyrics from Rejoice!
1.
Saviour while my heart is tender,
I would yield that heart to You,
all my powers to You surrender,
all I can for You to do.
2.
Take me now, Lord Jesus, take me;
may my life, Lord Jesus, shine,
Your devoted servant make me;
fill my soul with love divine.
3.
Send me Lord where You would send me,
only guide me day by day;
may Your grace through life surround me,
gladly then shall I obey.
4.
Let me do Your will or bear it,
constantly my will refine;
should you take my life or spare it,
I that life to You resign.
5.
I am Yours, O Lord, forever,
to Your service set apart;
Saviour may I leave You never;
seal Your image on my heart.
Hymns from the Rejoice! Hymn Book, Presbyterian Church of Australia
The omitted verse, originally the fifth, firmly cements the song as a hymn of personal consecration.
May this solemn consecration
Never once forgotten be;
Let it know no revocation,
Registered and confirmed by Thee.
Leaving it out renders the song able to be used in corporate praise.
There isn’t anything recorded of this that I could find online, but here’s the Seekers singing ‘The Carnival Is Over’.
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