Engines and Steel, Loud Pounding Hammers....a building hymn

There's a hymn in our hymnbook entitled "Earth and All Stars." It's what you'd call a modern hymn. It was written in 1964; the tune (which is truly lovely, actually) was composed four years later.

When I was a graduate student at Union Seminary we sang "Earth and All Stars" almost every week in chapel. I'm not sure why, but it seemed to be everyone's favorite hymn. Just not mine. I didn't care too much for it then, and it still strikes me as just a little too contemporary. I hate to show such a bias against modern thought, but this is my blog....

So - imagine my surprise (no, shock is a far better choice of word) when we stood to sing "Earth and All Stars" at Union's graduation ceremony last week! I was immediately transported back in time to my chapel days, when my meat and drink of chapel life centered around this hymn. Here are the words, all six verses of them (I can see Bob Dunn now!)....
Lyrics:
1. Earth and all stars, loud rushing planets,
sing to the Lord a new song!
O victory, loud shouting army,
sing to the Lord a new song!

Refrain: He has done marvelous things.
I, too, will praise him with a new song!

2. Hail, wind, and rain, loud blowing snowstorms,
sing to the Lord a new song!
Flowers and trees, loud rustling leaves,
sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain

3. Trumpet and pipes, loud clashing cymbals,
sing to the Lord a new song!
Harp, lute, and lyre, loud humming cellos,
sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain

4. Engines and steel, loud pounding hammers,
sing to the Lord a new song!
Limestone and beams, loud building workers,
sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain

5. Classrooms and labs, loud boiling test tubes,
sing to the Lord a new song!
Athlete and band, loud cheering people,
sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain

6. Knowledge and truth, loud sounding wisdom,
sing to the Lord a new song!
Daughter and son, loud praying members,
sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain

Here is a video of "Earth and All Stars", from youtube. Let me know what you think!

 

As we were "singing to the Lord a new song" at Union's graduation ceremony, I couldn't help but linger on verse 4: Engines and steel, loud pounding hammers, sing to the Lord a new song! Limestone and beams, loud building workers, sing to the Lord a new song! "That's us! That's Woodstock Presbyterian Church!" I wanted to shout. Randy leaned over and commented, "I know you're going to put that verse in your blog." Such rich fodder for a construction blog, don't you think? (By the way, Randy likes the hymn...a lot.)

 

In all my days, I have never heard and felt such "loud pounding hammers" as we experienced last week at WPC! The workers were pounding the fill composite in, making sure it was as compact as possible. Pictures fell off the walls, lamps off their tables, plants from their usual homes. The building shook. (When you were a kid, did you ever hold a sung note while riding on a rough road? You know what I'm talking about, then.) It was deafening, but funny too. Until it got old. Then it was just irritating. Yet, it was the sound of progress...the sound of God "doing a marvelous thing" at WPC.

 

Maybe it's time we all "sing praises to God with a new song!"

But, hey, I still like the oldies...

 

"Loudly pounded" fill composite....