My Song Is Love Unknown

My Song Is Love Unknown is a hymn by Samuel Crossman, written in 1664.

The hymn tune to which it is usually sung is Love Unknown by John Ireland. Ireland composed the melody over lunch one day at the suggestion of organist and fellow-composer Geoffrey Shaw.^[1]

Lyrics

My song is love unknown,
My Saviour’s love to me;
Love to the loveless shown,
That they might lovely be.
O who am I, that for my sake
My Lord should take frail flesh and die?

He came from His blest throne
Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none
The longed-for Christ would know:
But O! my Friend, my Friend indeed,
Who at my need His life did spend.

Sometimes they strew His way,
And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
Hosannas to their King:
Then “Crucify!” is all their breath,
And for His death they thirst and cry.

Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
He gave the blind their sight,
Sweet injuries! Yet they at these
Themselves displease, and ’gainst Him rise.

They rise and needs will have
My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they save,
The Prince of life they slay,
Yet cheerful He to suffering goes,
That He His foes from thence might free.

In life, no house, no home
My Lord on earth might have;
In death no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave.
What may I say? Heav’n was His home;
But mine the tomb wherein He lay.

Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King!
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my Friend, in Whose sweet praise
I all my days could gladly spend.

Other versions

• English rock band Coldplay has a song entitled "A Message", released on the album X&Y, the lyrics and melody of which were inspired by this hymn.^[2]
• Singer-songwriter Robin Mark recorded an updated version of this song, using John Ireland's setting and Crossman's first verse, with two added by Mark, on the album "Revival in Belfast 2."
• Singer Joanne Hogg of the Celtic Christian alternative rock group Iona set this hymn to a new tune and released it on her solo album Looking Into Light in 1999.
• Francis Pott, a famous English composer, set this hymn in 2002 for the Southern Cathedrals Festival as a 17'30" choral piece, performed by Tenebrae (choir), with Jeremy Filsell at the organ.

References

1. ^ "Word from Wormingford". Church Times. 2007-04-05. http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=37045. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
2. ^ "Coldplay.com".

External links

• My Song Is Love Unknown
• Oremus

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