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This page is dedicated to the story behind the songs. Most of the information that you read was researched online. Some of the songs I do not know the stories behind however and would love to add them to the website so if you do know, please contact me and we can add it. Thank you and enjoy!
Jesus Loves Me - Words: Anna B. Warner, 1860. Music: William B. Bradbury, 1862
This hymn first appeared in the novel Say and Seal, by Warner’s sister Susan; she wanted a song for a Sunday School teacher to sing to a dying boy, and asked Anna to write it. Jesus Loves Me is a Christian hymn written by Anna B. Warner[1] The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of a novel called Say and Seal, written by Susan Warner and published in 1860. The tune was added in 1862 by William Batchelder Bradbury who found the text of "Jesus Loves Me" in a book, in which the words were spoken as a comforting poem to a dying child. Along with his tune, Bradbury added his own chorus "Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus Loves me..." After publication the song became one of the most popular Christian hymns in churches around the world. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / en.wikipedia.org
You Are My God – Words and Music: Christina Iding, 2008.
This song was given to Christina by the Lord during a time in her life when she realized how much God loved her despite her sin and how much He sacrificed for her. His amazing grace and love just poured over her continuously and so she was inspired to write this song.
As The Deer - By: Martin Nystrom, 1984
Still need the story but my guess is that it was inspired by Psalm 42:1 which says…” [b] As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”
Cradle Prayer–Words by: Rebecca St. James. Music by: Charles Garrett, 1997
Still need the story
I Need You Now – By: Alan Curtis Tripp, 2008 copyright
Alan was inspired to write this song while on tour in Alaska in 2005 or 2006. He was in awe of the beauty of God’s creation and wrote this song.
There is Hope in the Lord – By: Christina Iding, 2008 copyright
Christina was driving one day and the chorus (words and music) of this song just came to her. It was one of the first songs that ever came to her and how cool that the God reminds us there is hope in Him alone!
Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus) by Chris Rice © 2002
Still need the story
Swing Low Sweet Chariot/ Angels Watching Over Me Words & Music: Wallis Willis, 1840.
Wallis Willis was a slave for the Choctaw Indians when he wrote the song Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was composed by Wallis Willis, Choctaw freedman in the old Indian Territory, around 1862. He was inspired by the Red River which reminded him of the Jordan River and of the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven by a chariot. Others state that the Mississippi River or the Ohio River could be substituted for the Jordan River. Some latter day sources[1] imply that this song and "Steal Away to Jesus"—also composed by Willis—had some hidden lyrics referring to the Underground Railroad.
It is important to note that since the song "Steal Away" was a code song for the Underground Railroad, it would have originally been composed before 1862.
Unfortunately, the original composer's name is permanently lost to history. Alexander Reid, a minister at a Choctaw boarding school, heard Willis singing the songs and transcribed the words and melodies. He sent the music to the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jubilee Singers then popularized the songs during a tour of the United States and Europe.
The song enjoyed a resurgence during the 1960s Civil Rights struggle and the folk revival; it was performed by a number of artists, perhaps most famously during this period, by Joan Baez during the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival.
The song was adopted by England rugby union fans during the last match of the 1988 season.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / en.wikipedia.org
Angels Watching Over Me
African American Spiritual, Author and date unknown. –Still need this story too.
Amazing Grace – by John Newton, 1779.
John Newton wrote this hymn some time after converting to Christianity in the village of Kineton, in Warwickshire, England. The lyrics are based on his reflections on an Old Testament text he was preparing to preach on, adding his perspective about his own conversion while on his slave ship, the Greyhound, in 1798.
Newton's lyrics have become a favorite for Christians, largely because the hymn vividly and briefly sums up the doctrine of divine grace. The lyrics are based on 1 Chronicles 17:16-17, a prayer of King David in which he marvels at God's choosing him and his house. Newton apparently wrote this for use in a sermon he preached on this passage on New Year's Day 1773, and for which he left his sermon notes, which correspond to the flow of the lyrics[1]. (He entitled the piece "Faith's review and expectation.")
The song has also become known as a favorite with supporters of freedom and human rights, both Christian and non-Christian, in part because many assume it to be his testimony about his slave trading past.
The hymn was quite popular on both sides in the American Civil War.
[edit] Extra verses
In her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe includes an extra, final verse which may have been taken from another hymn:
This additional verse is credited by some to John P. Rees (1828-1900)[3] and became firmly established as part of the hymn from the early twentieth century, appearing in many hymnals. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / en.wikipedia.org
Come Let Us Worship and Bown Down by Dave Doherty, 1980
Still need the story.
O Little Town Of Bethlehem by Rector Phillips Brooks and Music by Lewis Redner, 1868
Phillip Brooks, a priest, was inspired in 1865 when he was visiting the town of Bethlehem. Three years later, he wrote this song as a poem for his church and Lewis Redner, the organist, put music to it. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / en.wikipedia.org
I Love You Lord by Laurie Klein, 1978
Laurie, a wife and young mother, lived in Central Oregon in a Mobile Home. Her husband was a full time college student and they lived off of 400.00$ a month. They had no home church or friends nearby and she didn’t drive. She wrote the song in 1974 one morning while she was feeling hopelessly empty. She was having quiet time with the Lord and asked Him if she could sing for Him because she had nothing else to offer Him. This song came to her and she wrote it down. Her husband encouraged her to play it for a local pastor and some visiting musicians. Eventually the song surfaced and God has used it tremendously throughout the years in various places. I love what Laurie says…She says, “We must be prepared to meet Him no matter who we’re talking to or what we’re doing, whether we’re worshiping in church or worshiping with all the tasks that make up our day.” www.ccli.com
Silent Night By: Josef Mohr and music by Franz Xaver Gruber, 1816 & 1818
Josef Mohr was a young priest in Austria in 1816 when he wrote Silent Night. On December 24, 1818 Josef brought the words to Franz Xaver Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment so that it could be sung for the Midnight Mass[1].
In his written account regarding the composition of the carol, Gruber gives no mention of the specific inspiration for creating the song. According to the song's history provided by Austria's Silent Night Society, one supposition is that the church organ was no longer working so that Mohr and Gruber therefore created a song for accompaniment by guitar. Silent Night historian, Renate Ebeling-Winkler says that the first mention of a broken organ was in a book published in the U.S. in 1909. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / en.wikipedia.org
Away in a Manger - Author Unknown for 1st and 2nd verses and Dr. John T. McFarland is the author for the 3rd verse
Music by: “Mueller” James R. Murray, 1887
Alternate tune: Cradle Song, William J. Kirkpatrick, 1895
This a religious Christmas carol first published in an 1885 Lutheran Sunday School book by James R. Murray (March 7, 1841 - March 10, 1905), but the author of the first two stanzas is unknown. There are at least two major melodies for the song: one, "Cradle Song"[1], more commonly encountered in the United Kingdom; the other, "Mueller"[2], more commonly found in the United States. The tune commonly used in the United Kingdom was written by William J. Kirkpatrick and was first published in 1895. The tune commonly used in the United States was written by James R. Murray and first published in 1887. It is certain that stanza three was added in 1904 by Dr. John McFarland of New York City.
Some have attributed the song to Martin Luther himself. The confusion may have began because Murray published it with the subtitle "Luther's Cradle Hymn (Composed by Martin Luther for his children and still sung by German mothers to their little ones)."
The carol is associated with the tune "Mueller" in some churches and with the tune "Cradle Song" in others. In 2004, John Tavener composed a new setting for the words. This setting was performed at the service of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge in 2005. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / en.wikipedia.org
In His Time by Diana Ball, 1978
Still need the story
Cares Chorus by Kelly Willard, 1978
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