Tag Archives: hymn revision

cameron gray, harbor music team, original songs, original worship songs

Standing On the Promises Of God

Standing On the Promises Of God
©2018 Rough Harbor Music. Words by Russel Kelso Carter (1886) & Cameron Gray (2018). Music by Cameron Gray

Standing on the promises of Christ my King
Mountains will bow and the stones will sing
Let every nation their praises bring
Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises He spoke for me
Washed by His blood shed on Calvary
His tomb is empty and I am free
Standing on the promises of God

CHORUS:
Standing, O I am standing
Standing and I shall not be moved
Standing, O I am standing
Standing on the promises of God

Standing on the promises that cannot fail
Though storms of sin and fears assail
By the power of His Word I shall prevail
Standing on the promises of God

BRIDGE:
Oh, sweeter than honey
More precious than gold, pure gold
Oh, steadfast foundation
Standing on the solid rock of the Living Word

Standing on the promise of the Risen Lord
Come sons and daughters and weep no more
With all of Creation in one accord
Standing on the promises of God

Psalm 19:7-11

cameron gray, harbor music team, original worship songs

God Has Spoken

God Has Spoken
Words © The Hymn Society, by George Wallace Briggs 1953, adapted by Cameron Gray, 2015. Music by Cameron Gray, 2015.

God has spoken by His prophets,
Spoken His unchanging Word,
Each from age to age proclaiming,
God, You are the righteous Lord!
In the world’s despair and turmoil,
One firm anchor holds us fast,
God is King and His throne is eternal,
God the first, and God the last!

God has spoken by Christ Jesus,
Christ the everlasting Son,
Brightness of the Father’s glory,
With the Father ever one,
Ransomed by the Word Incarnate,
Sinners saved by love so vast,
Christ the Lord over all is ascended,
God the first, and God the last!

God still speaks now by His Spirit,
Speaking to our hearts again,
By the ageless Word expounding
God’s own message, now as then,
Through the rise and fall of nations,
Every promise standing fast,
Spirit, lead us by Thy Word unchanging
God the first, and God the last!

cameron gray, harbor music team, Journal, original worship songs

Stand Up My Soul

Stand Up My Soul
©2014 Rough Harbor Music. Words by Isaac Watts. 1707. Music by Cameron Gray, 2014

Stand up, my soul, shake off thy fears,
And gird thy Gospel armor on,
March to the gates of endless joy,
Where thy great Captain-Savior’s gone.
Hell and thy sins resist thy course,
But hell and sin are vanquished foes;
My Jesus nailed them to the cross,
And sung the triumph when He rose.

What though the prince of darkness rage,
To waste the fury of his spite?
Eternal chains confine him down
To fiery deep and endless night.
What though thine inward lusts rebel?
’Tis but a struggling gasp for life;
The weapons of victorious grace
Shall slay thy sin, and end the strife.

CHORUS:
Stand up, my soul, shake off thy fears,
And gird thy Gospel armor on,
March to the gates of endless joy,
Where thy great Captain-Savior’s gone.

So let my soul march boldly on,
Press forward to the heav’nly gate;
There peace and joy eternal reign,
And glitt’ring robes for conqu’rors wait.
There shall I wear a starry crown,
And triumph in almighty grace,
While all the armies of the sky
Join in my glorious Captain’s praise.
(Chorus)

harbor music team

Abide With Me

Abide With Me
Words: Henry Lyte, 1847, Justin Smith, 2007, Cameron Gray, 2014
Music: Verses by Justin Smith, Chorus by Cameron Gray
©2007 Justin Smith Music. CCLI Song #6175058

Abide with me, Lord; falls the eventide;
As darkness deepens, Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour,
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my Guide and Stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me.

CHORUS:
Abide with me, Lord,
Abide with me,
Thou art my Promise, my Surety,
Before the Throne, Thou, my perfect Plea
Abide with me, Lord,
Abide with me

I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless,
Ills have no weight, tears lose their bitterness,
Where is thy sting, death? Where, grave, thy victory?
My risen Savior abides with me.
(CHORUS)

harbor music team, original worship songs

Lead On, O King Eternal

Medley with “God of This City”:
mp3 | chart

Lead On, O King Eternal
Words by Ernest Shurtleff, 1887. Music & Chorus by Cameron Gray, 2014. ©2014 Rough Harbor Music.

Lead on, O King eternal,
The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Your tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation
The weak by grace made strong;
And now, O King eternal,
We lift our battle song.

CHORUS:
Lead on! Lead on, O King eternal
Lead on! Lead on, O King eternal

Lead on, O King eternal,
’Til sin’s fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet Amen of peace.
For not with sword’s loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy
Your heavenly kingdom comes.
(Chorus)

Lead on, O King eternal,
We follow, not with fears,
For gladness breaks like morning
Where’er Your face appears.
Your cross is lifted over us,
We journey in its light;
The crown awaits the conquest;
Lead on, O God of might.
(Chorus)

harbor music team, Journal, original worship songs

The Lord is Risen

The Lord is Risen
Words: Author Unknown, from Edward MacHugh’s Treasury of Gospel Hymns and Poems, 1938, altered and additional by Cameron Gray. Music by Cameron Gray ©2012 Rough Harbor Music

Sing, O my soul, this day of all days
Alleluia— the Lord is risen!
Toward the sunrise, with joy set thy face
Alleluia— the Lord is risen!
Behold! He giveth strength and grace;
For darkness, light; for mourning, praise,
For conflict, peace; For sin, His holiness,
Alleluia— the Lord is risen!

Rise, O my soul, and look to His face,
Alleluia— the Lord is risen!
Forsake the tomb of dark yesterdays,
Alleluia— the Lord is risen!
For thou from bondage art set free,
Thou sharest in His victory,
And fullest life is thine eternally,
Alleluia— the Lord is risen!

BRIDGE:
Rise, Arise! O my soul, arise!
My Jesus bids me rise, My Jesus bids me rise,
Cast off this shroud of doubt —Arise!
My sin is crucified, His righteousness is mine

Original Text:
Sing, soul of mine, this day of days,
The Lord is risen.
Toward the sun-rising set thy face,
The Lord is risen.
Behold He giveth strength and grace;
For darkness, light; for mourning, praise;
For sin, His holiness; for conflict, peace.

Arise, O soul, this Easter Day!
Forget the tomb of yesterday,
For thou from bondage art set free;
Thou sharest in His victory
And life eternal is for thee,
Because the Lord is risen.

-Author Unknown

Journal, original worship songs

Winter In His Heart of Gloom

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Bruce over at cardiphonia.org invited some folks to write new music for a collection of hymn texts based on the Apostle’s Creed called Lyra Fidelium. The whole collection of new tunes, along with chord sheets, is available for free download on BandCamp. Check out the original texts by Samuel John Stone, and read Bruce’s intro of the idea. Thanks Bruce for a fun and encouraging project!

Article XI, The Resurrection of the Body
Winter In His Heart of Gloom
Words by Samuel John Stone (Lyra Fidelium,1866) and Cameron Gray, 2010. Music by Cameron Gray. ©2010 Rough Harbor Music.

Winter in his heart of gloom
Sings the song of coming bloom;
So o’er death our souls shall sing
Lays of the eternal spring
Then decay shall be no more
And, the weary seed-time o’er,
All the dead in Christ shall rise
For the Harvest of the skies

Then there shall be, there shall be
Then there shall be, there shall be
Then there shall be sorrow no more, no more

We from earth to heaven shall soar
In that flesh which once we wore,
Deathless now and glorified
Like our Lord and at His side
This is life’s eternal Spring
This the coming joy we sing
Look we ever toward that Day
Be it near or far away
(Chorus)

Mid the sorrow and the strife
Tis the music of our life,
And our song has this refrain,
Our Redeemer comes again
Our Redeemer comes
(Chorus)

harbor music team, original worship songs

Crown Him With Many Crowns (Gray)

Crown Him With Many Crowns
Words: Matthew Bridges, 1852. Chorus & Music by Cameron Gray.
©2010 Rough Harbor Music

Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him Who died for thee,
And hail Him as they matchless King
Through all eternity.

CHORUS:
Crown Him! Lift up your voice
Crown Him! Ye saints rejoice
Crown Him! With songs of joy
Crown Him with many crowns

Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o’er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.
(Chorus)

Crown Him the Lord of love,
Behold His hands and side;
Those wounds yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail
Throughout eternity.
(Chorus)

harbor music team, original worship songs, songs & scripture

O Come, Dwell In Me

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O Come, Dwell In Me
Words adapted from Charles Wesley’s hymn, c.1788. Music by Cameron Gray, 2010. ©2010 Rough Harbor Music

O come, dwell in me,
Spirit of Christ within;
Bring Thy liberty
From sorrow and fear and power of sin.

Hasten
The joyful day which shall this night consume;
Old things
They shall be done away and all will be made new.

You make all things new.

Scripture References:
Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 14:23; Romans 8:15; I Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17

original worship songs

Ye Simple Men of Heart Sincere, Songwriting Exercise

Version 1:

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Download MP3 | Chord Chart

Version 2:

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Bruce shared this link to a collection of Advent and Nativity hymns by John Wesley. I loved the first one I saw, so I wrote a tune to go with it and made a quick recording (version 1). After posting it here and getting some feedback, I came up with an alternate tune and made another quick recording (version 2). Now my idea is to turn this into a music-writing exercise, attempting to approach Wesley’s text from a variety of melodic and stylistic angles. Unfortunately, I don’t have that many ideas, so this might be a short exercise. If you’ve got an idea for this text, record it and send it to me and I’ll post it here. I’d be really interested to see what people come up with.

Is it Christmas already?

Ye Simple Men of Heart Sincere

Words by John Wesley, 1810. Music by Cameron Gray, 2009
©2009 Rough Harbor Music

Original text:
Ye simple men of heart sincere,
Shepherds, who watch your flocks by night,
Start not to feel an Angel near,
Nor tremble at his glorious light.

A herald from the heavenly King,
I come your every fear to chase;
Good tidings of great joy I bring,
Great joy to all the fallen race.

To you is born on this glad day,
A Savior, by our host adored;
Our God in Bethlehem survey,
Make haste to worship Christ the Lord.

By this the Savior of mankind,
Th’ incarnate God shall be displayed,
The Babe, ye wrapped in swathes shall find,
And humbly in a manger laid.