This isn’t from AOV NG, but we heard John Bell sing it in his DVD series “Singing the Unsung” and everyone thought it was lovely. It is a Korean melody and the text is from Genesis. I’ll bring it down a notch before I try this at mass, but this backing is in the key John Bell sings it in his workshops. It is also approximate, as I don’t have the proper music for it, though it appears to be available in several collections.
The last verse says something to me about making a virtue of the ridiculously poor English missal translation. It’s still wrong headed but I may have to just view it as a spiritual exercise.
Verse 1
God who made the earth
Declared it good in the beginning
Meant a time and purpose
For all things that were and would be.
Chorus
While earth remains
There will be seed time and harvest
Summer sun and winter moon
The dead of night, the bright day.
Verse 2
Though humanity
Defiled the Eden God had cherished
God did not despise the world
Whose worth its maker could see.
Chorus
Verse 3
So, in Christ God came
From paradise to imperfection
Repossessing earth and people
Through a tomb and a tree.
Chorus
Verse 4
We, who follow Christ
Discover heaven through limitation
Pruned, we bear more fruit
And grafted to the vine we are free.
Chorus
words by John L Bell
©1999 WGRG Iona Community Glasgow