The weekly Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

If you’re anything like me, there are songs that you love because of their lyrics; writers you admire because their songs have depth, meaning, or just a sheer playfulness that has nothing to do with the tunes.

So, today’s question?

• What songs … either specific songs, or songs in general by a specific group or writer … have words that you love?
• Why?
• And … do the tunes that go with the fantastic lyrics live up to them?

I’ve been thinking about this question for hours and figure I’d better go ahead with this post before the day is over.

I love music. Many different types of music, from musicals to Irish, Scottish, and British folk music as well as early American folk music to the “crooner” songs like “Just the Way You Look Tonight” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.” to silly songs to hymns.

But I’m blanking out on specific meaningful lyrics in songs other than hymns. They will probably be coming to mind the next week or so!

But here are a few:

One that always speaks straight to my heart is ValJean’s prayer that Marius’s life be spared, for Cosette’s sake, and his taken if need be from Les Miserables, especially this section:

God on high, hear my prayer.
In my need, you have always been there.
He is young; he’s afraid.
Let him rest, heaven blessed.
Bring him home.
Bring him home.
Bring him home.

He’s like the son I might have known
If God had granted me a son.
The summers die, one by one,
How soon they fly on and on,
And I am old and will be gone…

Yes the music does enhance this. In fact, here is Colm Wilkinson singing it from the 10th anniversary concert:

One of my favorite Irish folk songs is this one:

Believe me if all those
Endearing young charms
Which I gaze on so fondly today
Were to change by tomorrow
And fleet in my arms,
Like fairy gifts fading away
Though would’st still be adored
As this moment thou art
Let thy loveliness fade as it will
And around the dear ruin
Each wish of my heart
Would entwine itself
Verdantly still.

Hymns, though, have the richest and most heart-touching lyrics. I have one blog category designated Hymns and Spiritual Songs with about 60 entries. Here are just a few:

I just posted about this new hymn by Chris Anderson on Sunday. Here is one stanza, the rest is here:

My Jesus, fair, was pierced by thorns,
By thorns grown from the fall.
Thus He who gave the curse was torn
To end that curse for all.

From a hymn by Lucy Bennett:

O teach me what it meaneth,
That cross uplifted high,
With One, the Man of Sorrows,
Condemned to bleed and die!
O teach me what it cost Thee
To make a sinner whole;
And teach me, Savior, teach me
The value of a soul!

A couple of stanzas from one of my favorite hymns:

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!

And another:

The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

And one more, the middle stanza of “Before the Throne of God above“:

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

One more, from the hymn titled the same as the first line by Frances Ridley Havergal.:

I could not do without Thee
O Savior of the lost,
Whose precious blood redeemed me
At such tremendous cost.
Thy righteousness, thy pardon
Thy precious blood, must be
My only hope and comfort,
My glory and my plea.

I could not do without Thee,
I cannot stand alone,
I have no strength or goodness,
No wisdom of my own;
But Thou, beloved Savior,
Art all in all to me,
And weakness will be power
If leaning hard on Thee.

I could go on and on..and on. But I’ll stop there.

More BTT entries for today can be found here.