Lyr Req: How Can I Keep From Singing - more verses

Subject: Lyr Req: How Can I keep From Singing?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 11:03 AM

She Who Must Be Obeyed just returned from Wisconsin for the funeral of her infant grandaughter. At a Catholic church there she heard a version of HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING with more verses than are usually sung. She insists she heard at least 10. Any 'Catters out there know of these?


Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: How Can I keep From Singing?
From: skipy
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 11:48 AM

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth's lamentation
I hear the sweet though far off hymn
That hails a new creation:
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth;
What though the darkness gather round!
Songs in the night He giveth:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that refuge clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of Heav'n and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smoothes
Since first I learned to love it:
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His—
How can I keep from singing?


Thats all I can find at the moment.
Skipy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: How Can I keep From Singing?
From: skipy
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 11:50 AM

My life goes on in endless song
Above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness 'round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble in their fear
And hear their death knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?

In prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging,
When friends by shame are undefiled
How can I keep from singing?
Skipy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: How Can I keep From Singing?
From: Carol
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 12:57 PM

I lift my eyes, the cloud grows thin,
I see the blue above it
   And day by day this pathway clears,
since first I learned to love it
   The peace of God restores my soul,
a fountain ever springing
   All things are mine since I am loved;
how can I keep from singing?

I've just acquired this verse from somewhere on the web I think there was another one but I didn't like the words!!!
Trouble is I'm finding it very difficult to learn the extra verse after singing the 3/6 verses for a good few years.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: How Can I keep From Singing?
From: Carol
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 01:00 PM

Sorry I'm singing it as the 2nd verse.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: How Can I keep From Singing?
From: Carol
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 02:19 PM

Found this on a web site from a Google search, I think the folk tradition has changed some of the words. Plus no sign of the tyrants tremble verse.
Words: Ro­bert Low­ry, 1860.

Music: Ro­bert Low­ry (MI­DI, score). Al­ter­nate tune:

Music by Ira D. Sank­ey (1840-1908) (MI­DI, score)

Ira D. Sankey (1840-1908)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth's lamentation
I hear the sweet though far off hymn
That hails a new creation:
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth;
What though the darkness gather round!
Songs in the night He giveth:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that refuge clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of Heav'n and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smoothes
Since first I learned to love it:
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His—
How can I keep from singing?

---

I'm guessing Carol got these lyrics from cyberhymnal.org
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Verses: How Can I keep From Singing?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 06:32 PM

There was one song at our wedding that flopped - this one. My folkie friends knew the Pete Seeger rendition of the song, and my Catholic choir friends knew a 1975 version by Ed Gutfreund in the Glory and Praise hymnal from Oregon Catholic Press/NALR. So, what came out was 250 people split between two tunes, and nobody came to agreement. Here's the Gutfreund tune, which is only subtly different from the Lowry tune at Cyberhymnal, but different enough to be problematic.

---

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Click to play

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Gutfreund uses three verses, with "no storm can shake..." as a chorus for all three. Here are the beginnings of the three verses:

1. My life flows on in endless song...
2. Through all the tumult and the strife...
3. What though the tempest...

Gutfreund uses "love is lord of Heaven and Earth..." which seems to be standard in modern hymnals, although I'd bet big bucks that Lowry wrote "Christ is Lord."

---

The current (2004) edition of Choral Praise Comprehensive from Oregon Catholic Press attributes the song to Robert Lowry and says it's a Quaker hymn, which we've established is not true. Choral Praise also uses "No storm can shake...Love is Lord..." as a chorus for all verses. Here are the verses from Choral Praise:

1. My life flows on in endless song...
2. Through all the tumult and the strife...
3. What though the tempest...
4. When tyrants tremble... (the Doris Plenn verse)
5. The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart....

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The other major Catholic publisher is GIA (Gregorian Institute of America). Their Gather Comprehensive Hymnal (2004) mentions Christ by name in the chorus and appears to be closer to the Lowry version (except that Lowry does not have a chorus):

How Can I Keep From Singing? (GIA)
(Text: Robert Lowry, 1826-1899)

1. My life flows on in endless song
   Above earth's lamentation.
   I hear the real, though far-off hymn
   That hails a new creation.
   

   CHORUS:
   No storm can shake my inmost calm,
   While to that rock I'm clinging.
   Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
   How can I keep from singing?

   
   
2. Through all the tumult and the strife,
   I hear that music ringing;
   It sounds and echoes in my soul;
   How can I keep from singing?
   CHORUS
   
   
3. What, though my joys and comfort die,
   The Lord, my savior liveth.
   What though the darkness gather round?
   Songs in the night it giveth.
   CHORUS
   
   
4. The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
   A fountain ever springing:
   All things are mine since I am his—
   How can I keep from singing?
   CHORUS

---

---

Click to play (GIA)

I think the hymnals have trouble with this tune, since we folkies tend to sing it in rather free meter. Choir directors can't handle free meter, but the publishers have to have something we folkies can recognize, so they do some interesting things with notation on this song.

---

The Collected Reprints from Sing Out! has the Doris Plenn verse, composed during the 1950's about her friends imprisoned during the McCarthy era.

When tyrants tremble, sick with fear
And hear their death knells ringing;
When friends rejoice both far and near,
How can I keep from singing?
In prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging.
When friends by shame are undefiled
How can I keep from singing?

The Catholic hymnals leave out this Lowry half-verse:

I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smoothes
Since first I learned to love it.

Note that if you take the Lowry verses from Cyberhymnal and split them, and use "No storm can shake..." as a chorus, you come up with five verses. Add Plenn's "tyrants" verse, and split off "prison cells" and you've got seven. I don't think any other non-parody verses have been posted in the other threads (see crosslinks above). I wonder where are those other three verses that She Who Must Be Obeyed counted.

-Joe Offer-

P.S. I forgot to mention that there's a very nice choral arrangement and recording on this page (click). Masato found the link and posted in in another thread.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Verses - How Can I Keep From Singing?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 08:25 PM

This Quaker discussion at beliefnet.com has a discussion of the song - although more from a Unitarian perspective. The Digital Tradition (DT) version of the song has the version of the song that's in the 1993 edition of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition. There are typos in the Digital Tradition, so here are the UU lyrics, with differences with the DT text noted:

My Life Flows On in Endless Song

My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation.
I hear the real though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
Through all* the tumult and the strife,
I hear the music ringing.
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

What though the tempest 'round me** roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
What though the darkness 'round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love prevails in heaven and earth+
How can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble as they hear
the bells of freedom ringing,++
When friends rejoice both far and near,
How can I keep from singing!
To+++ prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging.
When friends by shame are undefiled,
How can I keep from singing?


*DT has "above the tumult"
** DT has "loudly"
+ DT has "Since love is lord of Heaven and earth"
++ DT has

When tyrants tremble, sick with fear,
And hear their death-knell ringing

+++DT has "In"

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Click to play (UU Version)

Personally, I like Unitarians - but why do they do what they do to hymns? I have to admit that my fellow Catholic musicians can sometimes be almost as bad at bowdlerizing, as can the Quakers. I don't mind removing "Christ" for people who don't believe in Christ, but why insert the "bells of freedom" bit? I guess that outside of church, I would prefer to sing a "secular" version of this song, but not one that feels like it has been sanitized for the sake of political correctness.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Verses - How Can I Keep From Singing?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 08:39 PM

OK, so finally let's take a look at what the Quakers did with it in their Worship in Song: A Friends Hymnal (1996):

HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth's lamentation,
I hear the sweet, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul,
How can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die?
My Savior still is living.
What though the shadows gather 'round?
A new song Christ is giving.
No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that Rock I'm clinging;
Since Love commands both heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble, sick with fear,*
And hear their death knells ringing;
When friends rejoice both far and near,
How can I keep from singing?
In prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging;
When friends by shame are undefiled,
How can I keep from singing?

I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smooths
Since first I learned to love it.
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing;
All things are mine since I am Christ's,
How can I keep from singing?

*alternate: When tyrants tremble when they hear the bells of freedom ringing

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Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Verses - How Can I Keep From Singing?
From: Rapparee
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 09:03 PM

So...no matter how I sing it it's right, right?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Verses - How Can I Keep From Singing?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Aug 06 - 09:13 PM

Ayup. I'd say this one has been well-served by the folk process. Still, the most I count is seven non-parody verses.
I didn't find this in any of the traditional hymnals - just in the modern Catholic, Unitarian, and Quaker hymnals. I think Q mentioned in another thread that it's in a modern Lutheran hymnal, but I didn't find it in the current Presbyterian and Methodist hymnals. I'm guessing it was long forgotten until Pete Seeger heard it from Doris Plenn and popularized it, and then the modern "mainstream" hymnals picked it up. I'd be surprised to hear born-again Christians singing this one. Too much of a "liberal" connotation to it, although it was written in the 1860's.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Verses - How Can I Keep From Singing?
From: GUEST,Debi
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 10:14 AM

Here is another verse I wrote for this hymn, as I had not yet found the others that ascribed Christ's glory as the reason for lifting one's voice in bursting joy. You might enjoy adding it to the others. Such a compelling song relfects our inner urges.

What has my God for me today
A job worth all my passion,
He cleanses those to him who pray
How can I keep from singing?
In sinners heart and sorrow's tear
His hope to me is reaching
His voice of grace is ever near
How can I keep from singing?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Verses - How Can I Keep From Singing?
From: skipy
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 10:29 AM

Found this:-
2212. My Life Flows On (How Can I Keep from Singing)
Text: Robert Lowry, 1826-1899
Music: Robert Lowry
Tune: HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING, Meter: 87.87 with Refrain
Skipy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Verses - How Can I Keep From Singing?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 02:12 PM

What book's it in, Skipy?
I think that's how they had it listed in the Unitarian hymnal.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Verses - How Can I Keep From Singing?
From: Haruo
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 12:31 AM

There's also a Sankey tune (an alternative given in both Cyberhymnal and my Esperanto hymnal).

Haruo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Verses - How Can I Keep From Singing?
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 02:42 AM

Debi, "passion" and "singing" don't really rhyme very well, do they ?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: How Can I Keep From Singing - more ve
From: Haruo
Date: 23 Aug 06 - 02:59 PM

Here's the version from the 1996 Disciples of Christ Chalice Hymnal; it's not vey different from the others, but at least it shows the song has not wholly disappeared from its land of origin (which was not RC/Qk/UU) I've underlined the places where it differs materially from the GIA's text above...

My Life Flows On (Chalice)
WORDS and MUSIC: Robert Lowry, 1869, alt.

   1. My life flows on in endless song,
      above earth's lamentation.
      I hear the clear, though far off hymn
      that hails a new creation.

          CHORUS:
          No storm can shake my inmost calm,
          while to that Rock I'm clinging.
          Since love is Lord of heav'n and earth,
          how can I keep from singing?


   2. Through all the tumult and the strife,
      I hear that music ringing.
      It finds an echo in my soul.
      How can I keep from singing?
      CHORUS

   3. What though my joys and comfort die?
      I know my Savior liveth.
      What though the darkness gather round?
      Songs in the night he giveth.
      CHORUS

   4. The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
      a fountain ever springing!
      All things are mine since I am his!
      How can I keep from singing?
      CHORUS

Click to play
NoteWorthy Composer File

Haruo

Subject: How Can I Keep From Singing - more verses/Purring
From: Genie
Date: 24 Aug 06 - 11:10 AM

Don't forget these additional verses (prrrr-ses?).

How Can I Keep From Purring?/Betsy Wellings



Betsy Wellings with the cat who wrote these new lyrics

additional verse by Sonja

_^ ^_
=(*.*)=
~(,, ,,)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: How Can I Keep From Singing - more ve
From: Haruo
Date: 24 Aug 06 - 12:09 PM

And of course the innocuous and the lascivious senses of "How Can I Keep from Swinging", and the sad but true How Can I Keep from Eating.

Pudgily,
Haruo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: How Can I Keep From Singing - more verses
From: GUEST,Hilary
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 08:53 PM

Does anyone know a version of this song, other than the one arranged by Gwyneth Walker, which includes the line "When friends hold courage in their heart?" Yes, heart really is singular, without the 's.'

Subject: ADD Version: How Can I Keep From Singing
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 09:39 PM

Hi-

This Google Search will lead you to PDF files at a number of (mostly Baptist) churches that have the Gwyneth Walker version, but I haven't seen other versions that have the line, "When friends hold courage in their heart."

HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING?
(Gwyneth Walker arrangement)

My life flows on in endless song above earth's lamentation.
I hear the real though distant song that hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife I hear the music ringing.
It sounds an echo in my soul, how can I keep from singing?

What though the tempest loudly roars, I hear the truth, it's living!
What though the darkness round me close, songs in the night it's giving!
No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that rock I'm clinging.
Since I believe that love abides, how can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble when they hear the bells of freedom ringing.
When friends rejoice both far and near, how can I keep from singing?
In prison cell, in dungeon dark, our thoughts to them are winging.
When friends hold courage in their heart, how can I keep from singing?

No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that rock I'm clinging.
Since I believe that love abides, how can I keep from singing!