By rivers of sorrow we sat and remembered

Perhaps the last great question for Psalm-singers is, What shall we do with the 137th? Or rather, with its final sentence or verse, since the body of the Psalm is so memorable, quotable and quoted? The deeper question is in the Psalm itself, asked by those whose agonies convince them that God is dead. One part-version topped the popular music charts, for example in May- June 1978 as Rivers of Babylon, Boney M’s greatest hit, though without the children of Edom. How many of those who enjoyed it realised that Babylon is with us still, checked its source, or reached its conclusion? 7 versions are printed in the 1996 Penguin The Psalms in English—more than for any other. Some of these specify the river as Euphrates; the worst, by Oldham in 1676, is 119 lines long, and the last, from Clive Wilmer in 1992, closes the anthology. Carl Daw’s two otherwise powerful versions (1990 and 1996) both omit v7. The present solution is that expressed by Michael Perry’s text, first published in the ‘Hope’ (American) collection Come Rejoice! in 1989. The author, then Vicar of Tonbridge, Kent, wrote: ‘This is one of several attempts to give Psalm 137 a usable metrical form … [One came in Psalm Praise; another was set to Gershwin’s SUMMERTIME]. The problem is how to be true to the text yet produce a vehicle for worship. My stanza 3 expresses the destiny of Babylon and Edom as a warning rather than a threat, and has part of Psalm 138 as a fitting conclusion.’ However, the original is neither warning nor threat but (almost) imprecation; an apparent desire for God’s vengeance to fall horribly on specific children. It was inappropriate for citizens of the cruellest century yet to criticise the Hebrew exiles for their song; but too-literal versions are often in danger of being ignored by hymnchoosers, or used without due explanation. Michael Perry never found the ideal tune; for some, his choice of STREETS OF LAREDO had unhelpful associations. Richard Strutt composed ST CATHERINE’S COURT in 1925 for Draper’s In our day of thanksgiving one psalm let us offer, for the Jubilee celebration of the Girls’ Friendly Society. It was printed that year in the GFS Jubilee Hymn Book, then in the 1950 and 2000 (but not 1983) A&M; the 1986 New English Hymnal also sets it to Draper’s words.

b Beckenham, Kent 1942, d Tonbridge, Kent 1996. Dulwich Coll, Oak Hill and Ridley Hall Theological Colls, London and Southampton Univs (BD, MTh). Ordained (CofE) 1965; after curacies at St Helen’s, Lancs and Bitterne, Southampton, he became incumbent of Bitterne (1972), Eversley, Hants (1981), where Charles Kingsley was a predecessor, and finally Tonbridge from 1989. A contributor to Youth Praise 2 in 1969, he was then an editorial team member for Psalm Praise (1973) and Hymns for Today’s Church (1982, 1987), Canon of Rochester, member of General Synod, Chairman of Church Pastoral Aid Society and (from 1982) succeeding Jim Seddon as Hon Sec of Jubilate Hymns. Under Jubilate auspices he edited a stream of hymn, song, carol and Psalm and prayer books, in collaboration with David Iliff, David Peacock, Noël Tredinnick, Norman Warren and others. He edited The Dramatized Bible (1989), compiled the reference-handbook Preparing for Worship (1995), and wrote and spoke widely on many aspects of worship, in the UK and on visits to W Africa and N America. Over all, he possessed the gift of being able to handle vast amounts of work with a light touch and ready (but never unkind) humour. His 183 texts were collected in Singing to God: Hymns and Songs 1965–1995, a slightly Americanised volume, in the year before his early death from a brain tumour. His first published song (words and music) was ‘The Calypso Carol’ in 1963; see no.374, note. Including paraphrases, 40 of his texts are in HTC (1987 edn), 8 in Baptist Praise and Worship (1991), 18 in Sing Glory (1999), 8 in the N American Worship and Rejoice (2001), 15 in Carols for Today (2005) and 27 in Carol Praise (2006), not counting several versions attributed to ‘Word and Music’ which are predominantly his. For some 20 years he and Christopher Idle would exchange friendly mutual criticism of each other’s texts. MAP believed that ‘Our preparation for worship can only go so far. It is doomed if the Spirit of the Lord is not in it. On the other hand, God is sovereign; he can “take over” any kind of worship, provided that those who lead and those who participate are open to his grace’. He also consistently urged that ‘to be obscure is an indulgence we cannot allow ourselves’.
Michael is published by Praise! numbers 49, 75, 82, 88, 137, 128, 148, 153, 172, 187, 211, 213, 277, 323, 332, 373, 374, 382, 481, 624, 694, 872, 929, 947 and by Praise! online at numbers 1082, 1132.