"Hear Me, O God (Psalm 61 / The Bonnie Cuckoo)"

One of the best tracks on Enter the Arbiter is a setting of one of my favorite psalms. Psalm 61 is a Year D psalm (i.e., it falls outside the lectionary, but is retrieved in Year D). Although in that supplementary schedule of readings, I proposed it be read on the Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time, it really warrants much more frequent use than that. It is included here among these Songs for Holy Week by virtue of its similarities to Psalm 70, which is read on Spy Wednesday.

For the tune, I chose an ancient folk melody that, from what I have been able to tell, has never been the setting for a sacred text. At least "The Bonnie Cuckoo" so far yields no results in a search of hymnary.com. If someone were to tell me that John Bell has used this tune for something, I would not be surprised, for it seems like something he would do, but if he has done so, I am not aware of it. As for this setting, I have modified the tune a bit, repeating the first phrase in the introduction (a phrase that traditionally only occurs once in the verses), and instead of repeating the second phrase (in keeping with tradition), have added my own concluding phrase to resolve each verse. Anyone familiar with the music of O'Carolan will suspect the blind harper as the source behind this anonymous tune on the evidence of those distinctive descending intervals in the second phrase. But here I thought it best not to overuse those intervals, which may not be the most conducive to congregational singing, so I chose to resolve things differently. 

Here is my paraphrase of Psalm 61.

(1)   Hear me, O God, attend to my prayer

From the ends of the earth, I-I call to you!

My heart is faint and beaten down

Lead me to the rock that is higher ground.

(R) Hear me, O God, attend to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you!

 

(2) For you are a shelter of refuge for me,

A tow-er of strength, from the e-ne-my.

Let me abide for-ev-er in you

And under your wings find security.

(R) Hear me, O God, attend to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you!

 

(3) For yo-u, O G-od, have he-ard my vows,

And made me an heir with your fa-ith-ful.

Increase the days-of your ch-o-sen King

Who sh-all endure through the a-g-es.

(R) Hear me, O God, attend to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you! 

(4) May He be en-thr-oned for-ev-er with you.

Let mercy and truth up-ho-ld Him.

And I will ever sing praises to you.

And dai-ly fulfill all my promises.

 

(R) Hear me, O God, attend to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you!

 

(R) Hear me, O God, attend to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you!