It’s not because it’s the Navy Hymn. In this case, contrary to my conscious habit, it started out because of the music, not the words. But it’s now the marriage of words and music that keep me coming back to this prayer-song:
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy Word,
Who walked on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect us wheresoever we go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
An additional stanza is a bit obtuse and is not often used. Other stanzas have been penned and made public by other authors, but none seem as broadly applicable as these three originals. I find it helpful, from a Christian perspective as opposed to an American or military one, to extend the sea and protection images past the literal:
- God has surely given the ocean its boundaries, and yet it crosses those boundaries at times. The reality of such occurrences as tsunamis and the fabled storm on Lake Galilee may be a metaphor for the storms of life that encroach on the normally safe territory of the heart.
- “peril on the sea” may be seen spiritually as eternal danger brought by the sea-waves of life
- “our brethren shield in danger’s hour” is certainly an appropriate prayer for those in “harm’s way” in time of war, no matter one’s belief system about the Christian’s involvement in the military, but it is a much more broadly applicable prayer for anyone in physical or spiritual danger
The music is perfect for these cries of creature to Creator-Sustainer-Protector; I can hardly imagine using these words in a different musical setting! The rich majesty of John Dykes’s music is especially moving on the words “strong to save”: the parallel thirds in the first line of tenor and bass (when men are actually singing with full voice!) express words like “strong to save” (1) and “love and power” (3). The reserved arch of the melody overall is a model for tune construction, and the harmonies, cycling through multiple V-I progressions and using both 7ths and chromatics, also combine to imbue the music with interest and power.
We’ll be using this song as part of the finale for an upcoming concert in my vocational world. I also hope the song will be a part of the spiritual world of worship for a great many gathered that night. May we all recognize that God is in control and may be called on to protect, even today.
Dear Mr. Casey:
Thank you for that breakdown of an hymn that resonates.
So much of hymnal music is soul-stirring, becaue it affects the practical in our memories if we allow it to stir us. The imagery included in such lyrics is present, and the music only empowers the lyrical to become a penetrator of the area of mankind known as the heart (soul), encouraging as well as fostering human goodwill and action. It is the byproduct of good verse and music blended together. I have found many hymns contain these elements which is a pleasure b/c I identify with the messages they normally contain.
Thanks, Don, for this good affirmation of the messages (and the music) of hymn-style Christian songs. Incidentally, I tend to be pretty careful when using the label “hymn.” Rather than applying it to all Christian songs written before, say, 1980, the term properly refers to worshipful texts and musical settings sans chorus that have relatively fast harmonic rhythm. I suppose prayers such as “Eternal Father” are at least indirectly in the textual category of hymns since they are indeed addressed to God. There’s something about the very nature of prayer–addressing a greater Being in a posture of humility and request–that implies creature-to-Creator worship.
Anyway, end of excursus. . . . You were really just trying to affirm the way a marriage of music and words stirs the soul, and I’m with you!