It was written by Church of Scotland minister and missionary to Africa, Thomas Stevenson (Tom) Colvin (1925-2000). The song was written in 1963, and first published in America in 1969 by Hope Publishing.
The song is set to a tune called CHEREPONI, which Colvin adapted from a Ghanaian folk-song. It has a 6/8 time signature, and in the key of D, the first few notes are F A A F F AA F G.
The song is set to a tune called CHEREPONI, which Colvin adapted from a Ghanaian folk-song. It has a 6/8 time signature, and in the key of D, the first few notes are F A A F F AA F G.
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Image from Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet, Ford Madox Brown (1821–1893) |
Downloads
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Examples
Choir with percussion:
Choir, unaccompanied:
Small group with piano, words on-screen:
Congregation with piano:
Singer with organ:
Cantor and children's choir, professional recording:
Instrumental - hand-bells:
Singer with guitar:
1970s professional recording (nb incorrect title on the video - contents are this song)
Lyrics
The lyrics are copyright so cannot be reproduced here. But they are currently available on this website. The song starts with a five-line chorus, and this is repeated after each of the four verses. A rough outline is:Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve
the neighbors we have from you.
1 Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
Master who acts as a slave to them.
2 Neighbors are rich folk and poor,
neighbors are black, brown, and white,
neighbors are nearby and far away.
3 These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love;
all these are neighbors to us and you.
4 Loving puts us on our knees,
serving as those who are slaves:
this is the way we should live with you.
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