Abide with Me
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- This article is about the Christian hymn. For other uses, see Abide with Me (disambiguation).
| "Abide with Me" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Music: William Henry Monk | ||
| Words: Henry Francis Lyte | ||
| Language | English | |
| Meter | 10 10 10 10 | |
| Melody name | Eventide | |
"Abide with Me" is a Christian hymn composed by Henry Francis Lyte in 1847, though the lyrics are usually sung to William Henry Monk's melody "Eventide" rather than Lyte's original music. Lyte wrote the words to his poem while he lay dying from tuberculosis, and lived only three weeks after its completion. It is considered to be England's national hymn.
Contents |
[edit] Lyrics
The hymn is a prayer for God to remain present with the speaker throughout life, through trials, and through death. The first verse is by far the most well-known:
- Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
- The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
- When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
- Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
[edit] Tune
The tune most often heard with this hymn is "Eventide" (.ogg sound file), composed by William H. Monk in 1861.[1]
Alternate tunes include:
- "Abide with Me", Henry Lyte, 1847
- "Morecambe", Frederick C. Atkinson, 1870
- "Penitentia", Edward Dearle, 1874
- "Woodlands", Walter Greatorex 1916
[edit] Popular use
[edit] Religious services
"Abide with Me" is popular across many denominations, and was said to be a favourite of King George V[1] and Mahatma Gandhi. It was sung at both the wedding of King George VI and that of his daughter, who would go on to become Queen Elizabeth II. It is also often sung at Christian funerals.
[edit] FA Cup and Rugby League Challenge Cup finals
Since 1927 it has been sung before the kick-off at the FA Cup Final and Rugby League Challenge Cup final.*It has also been sung prior to every Rugby League Super League Grand Final since the inaugral final in 1999.[1]
A live recording of the hymn, performed by the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choir at the memorial service for victims of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989, was released as a B side for the "Ferry Cross the Mersey" charity single which topped the UK singles chart for three weeks in May, 1989.
[edit] Military services
The hymn is sung at the annual Anzac Day services in Australia and New Zealand[2], and in some Remembrance Day services in Canada[3] and the United Kingdom. It is also played by the combined bands of the Indian Defence Forces during the annual Beating Retreat ceremony held on 29th January. A choral version of this hymn has been arranged by Moses Hogan.
[edit] Jazz
Thelonious Monk recorded a simple yet remarkably elegant instrumental version of the hymn with his jazz septet under the title "Abide with Me" as start of the 1957 album Monk's Music. In 2006 two different tracks have been reissued as start of the second disc of The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings, the documentation of the cooperation of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane.
[edit] In Films and Television
- In an episode of Touched by an Angel Tess develops Alzheimer's Disease, and keeps words "the darkness deepens" while Monica becomes increasing distraught by the illness. When Monica finally accepts Tess's illness, Tess then sings the next line, "Lord, with me abide" and has a miraculous recovery.
- In the film A Bridge Too Far, wounded British paratroopers trapped in Arnhem sing this hymn at a field hospital during a ceasefire.
- In a flashback during an episode of the television series Lost, this hymn is played on the organ as the character Charlie is in confession.
- In The Full Monty Lomper plays "Abide with Me" at his mothers funeral scene.
- The Danny Boyle film 28 Days Later has the hymn on its soundtrack: A female solo rendition can be heard in the background of the scene where Jim returns to his parents' house in Deptford and finds their bodies.
- The hymn appears at the end of the Doctor Who episode "Gridlock", in which "The Old Rugged Cross" also appears. " Abide with Me" also appears on the series 3 soundtrack. The line "change and decay in all around I see" was quoted in the 1980s Doctor Who story Kinda.
- In Latter Days the hymn is heard.
- In 1991, TV personality Vic Reeves wrote a dance-mixed version of the song on his album, 'I Will Cure You'. The version features dance beats and is of the rave style, popular during the early nineties.
- In 1997, "Abide with Me" was recorded by Sir Elton John and included in the album Carnival: Rainforest Foundation Concert. A live version has been broadcast featured in the TV show called An Evening with Elton John.
[edit] Other
- In Salisbury, Rhodesia, on November 11, 1968, the British South Africa Police Band played "Abide with Me" when the 1964 Rhodesian Flag bearing the Union Jack was lowered for the last time and replaced by the flag that lasted until the end of White minority rule.
- The song Abide with Me is most proudly sung by pupils from Portora Royal school, Enniskillen; The same school as the writer Henry Francis Lyte went to.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b TheFA.com - Abide with me. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ RSA - Remembrance - ANZAC Day. Retrieved on 2006-05-14.
- ^ A Guide to Commemorative Services. Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved on 2006-10-08.
[edit] References
- http://www.know-britain.com/hymns/abide_with_me.html
- http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/b/abidewme.htm
- http://www.nationwide.co.uk/sponsorship/FA-Cup/default.htm
- Anthem4England.co.uk
[edit] External links
- Abide with Me! : 3 verses set to music
- "'Eventide", the tune commonly used in performances of "Abide With Me", as played by Clifton Stroud II on the Boardwalk Hall Organ.
- Axel Bergstedt: Conosco fica (portuguese version),Composition for chorus, solists, orchestra
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