Music Reflection: This is My Song

I am in fear of watching or reading the news. I quake at the thought of listening to NPR, CNN, or opening the news app on my phone. What horrible things will I experience and learn – updates on the infected and death toll due to a world pandemic, political unrest, violence, senseless death, racism and hatred for fellow humans? I do not understand. How we can treat others this way and claim to be guided by God? How can we claim to be followers of Jesus and yet hold hatred in our hearts for others who have different colored skin, worship contrarily, or have a different sexual orientation? Would we still follow Jesus if he were with us, in person, today — a brown skinned man of Jewish background from the Middle East? I believe, given these difficult times, this is something many of us lose sight of.

As I’ve ruminated over these questions during the past months, today I thought I would share a recording of This is My Song by the vocal ensemble, Cantus. You will discover that the tune to this piece is very familiar and is one of the most stirring tunes in the United Methodist Hymnal, the melody known as known as FINLANDIA. The melody comes from a symphonic tone poem by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) by the name of Finlandia, Op. 26. The lyrics, or poem for the original setting was composed by Lloyd Stone (1912-1993), an American public-school teacher. Lloyd wrote the first two stanzas of “This Is My Song” for its inclusion in the collection, Sing a Tune (1934). During the brief time of peace between two world wars, it was a song of hope for all nations — “for lands afar and mine.” The poet acknowledges love for his own country, but balances that with the love that others feel around the world for their nations, their fellow countrymen, and a deeper connection to one another without concern for political background, creed, or purpose. We are all God’s BELOVED sons and daughters. 

Here is Lloyd Stone’s text:

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
 
My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

Click Here for this amazing recording. I hope you enjoy and find solace in the powerful words and music. May peace and love be with each of you.

Ryan Keebaugh
www.ryankeebaugh.com