Come to the Water (Foley)

When we don’t use Frank Andersen’s song of this name we use John Foley’s and it is really a very good song that everyone participates in for singing. There is a sample to listen to at OCP where you can buy the sheet music as well. You can hear the whole song here. There are some interesting versions on YouTube: one with harmonica, one with karoake reverb, a choir and an assembly. None of them really capture being in a group going for the crescendo, which I suggest you do.

My backing is a render of a strange MIDI file I don’t even remember making* that has an awful lot of tracks going on but should be adequate to learn the song in the unlikely event you don’t already know it.

1. O let all who thirst,
let them come to the water.
And let all who have nothing,
let them come to the Lord:
without money, without price.
Why should you pay the price,
except for the Lord?

2. And let all who seek,
let them come to the water.
And let all who have nothing,
let them come to the Lord:
without money, without strife.
Why should you spend your life,
except for the Lord?

3. And let all who toil,
let them come to the water.
And let all who are weary,
let them come to the Lord:
all who labor, without rest.
How can your soul find rest,
except for the Lord?

4. And let all the poor,
let them come to the water,
Bring the ones who are laden,
bring them all to the Lord:
bring the children without might.
Easy the load and light:
come to the Lord.

© John Foley SJ 1978.

* It is possible I did not make it, of course, but it sounds to me like I’ve entered a lot of notes manually and then added it to a MIDI based on a BIAB file.