I saw this song being sung by an Irish lass at the end of a wedding, and I thought to myself “I have to learn that song.” Watch to the end for some extra cuteness.
I have also arranged it for SATB. This is a fun little piece with a humorous twist at the end – feel free to play this up as you perform it. Everyone gets a chance to shine in this arrangement for Acapella SATB group – suitable for performance as a quartet or in a larger ensemble.
I did some busking at the Echuca Farmer’s Market, and recorded parts of my performance. This is The Fray’s You Found Me, which I find to be a real raw and honest conversation that you might have with God if you just came across God on the street one day.
From Wikipedia:
You Found Me” is a song by American rock band The Fray. It was released in November 2008 as the lead single from their eponymous second studio album. Live performances of the song from concerts in Europe surfaced on YouTube in late 2007, when the song was titled “Amistad”.[2] The band began streaming the song on their website on November 21, 2008.[3] The single was digitally released in the U.S., Canadian, UK, Australian and French iTunes Stores and had a physical release later on. The song became the group’s third single to sell 2 million downloads in the United States, after “How to Save a Life” and “Over My Head (Cable Car)“.[4] It has sold 3.6 million copies in the US as of February 2015, making it one of the most downloaded rock songs.[5] The single was certified double platinum by the RIAA and the ARIA in 2009. The song was nominated for a Choice Music: Rock Track award at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards.[6] The song was ranked No. 13 on the Hot 100 Songs of 2009 list[7] and No. 36 on Billboard‘s Best Adult Pop Songs of the Decade list.[8] It was also ranked No. 42 on Billboard’s Top 100 Digital Tracks of the Decade list[9] and No. 61 on the ARIA’s list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade.[10]
“War is War, and Hell is Hell, and of the two, War is an awful lot worse.”
As I’ve been thinking about ANZAC Day tomorrow, this song has been running through my head a lot, and then this scene just seemed to pair up with it. We need to remember and honour those who sacrificed their lives, but never glorify war, and do everything within our power to never needing people to have to sacrifice their lives again.
On May 4, I’ll be doing some busking at the Echuca Farmers Market.
Come along and discover some great local produce, and hear some great tunes. I might even throw in an appropriately themed “Weird Al” Star Wars cover for Star Wars Day.
Friday, 5 April, 4-6pm. Ben will be at the Colbinabbin Country Hotel, playing covers for their “Bring on the Holidays” afternoon Drinks, and raising money for The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal.
Setlist will be wide and varied, including “Give me a home among the gum trees”, “Unbreakable” (Birds of Tokyo), and maybe even a ballad version of “500 miles”.
Thought I’d share a little bit about the instruments that I play, and my journey on them.
Violin
The violin is my main instrument, and I’ve been learning it since I was seven. I’ve played in various orchestras over the time, played on stage with a band or two, and had a whole heap of fun doing it. The violin opened up the world of music for me, but it will always be my first love.
Viola
When I went to Uni, there were very few string players. There were only a couple of viola players. So, in order to help out with chamber music groupings, I taught myself the viola. I used my spare violin and converted it to a viola, learned how to read the alto clef, and started playing the viola. I didn’t play it for long, but I still count it as an instrument I can play.
Piano
My parents have a piano at their place, and over time I taught myself how to play it. I’m not great – and play the piano much in the same style as the guitar – I play the chords more than the melody line. However, I have taught myself to play a couple of easy pieces, so I’m not as bad as I was. I really enjoy playing the piano, but not having one at my place means I don’t get to play as often as I used to.
Guitar
A couple of years ago, I decided that I wanted to learn the guitar. So I bought one and an instructional book, and spent a couple of days learning chords and how to play. Within a couple of weeks I was playing at church in the worship team. I love the guitar now, and probably play it more than my violin these days, but that doesn’t mean I still don’t love my violin – I just love both.
Other Instruments
I can play a few other instruments, such as drums, ukulele, mandolin and recorder. I like having a go at various instruments, so there might be other instruments that get added to this list over time.
I went to see Fame tonight, with a few friends. Despite having heard of some bad reviews, I really enjoyed it. Perhaps having not seen the original meant that I could enjoy this on its merits. There were a couple of parts of the movie that really stuck with me that I wanted to share.
Kevin, a dancer, knows at his audition that he’s going to get a job in a professional ballet company. However, despite working harder than any other dancer, he just doesn’t become the strong dancer that he needed to be. When the dance teacher declines his request for a letter of recommendation, he is distraught. And then, horror of all horrors, she goes on to suggest that he might become a wonderful teacher. *shudder* His life long hopes and dreams crushed, he goes down to the subway to catch a ride home, and comes very close to ending his life.
A bit later, Jenny is giving a speech on stage. I would have loved to find the text, but I can’t find it anywhere on the net yet. But she talks about how Success isn’t measured by fame, or money, but by love, and by waking up every morning and flying out the door because you’re so happy to be doing what you’re doing.
I’ve been getting into playing the guitar a lot recently. Since starting to play at the beginning of this year, I have found it hard to put down. I started off with an acoustic/electric that gave me the ability to learn the chords, play in church etc. When we started seriously considering a ska-themed service for December, I sought out an electric. Got a second-hand one from a friend, but the dodgy electrics meant that I couldn’t bring it to church without risking nasty interferance. After discovering I had a bit of money in my savings, I decided to bite the bullet and buy myself a brand new electric. So I am now the proud owner of a candy-apple red fender squier standard. Also got some accessories such as leads, pedals and a multiple guitar stand for church, so I’m getting quite a setup now.
Big shoutouts to Billy Hyde Music, especially Tom who helped me out with replacing a number of items that were out of stock. I hope this new gear can help me to lead Floreat to a new area in worship, praising God in all his majesty.
Planning a revised direction starting in October, so keep tuned – you might get a little taste as we get closer. All I’m saying is that it will mean more posts with hopefully more interesting content.
Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes Lord,” he said, ̶you know that I love you. Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to hem, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. II till you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
John 21:12-19
Musical Offering
Ben’s Offering
I’ve heard a few different interpretations of this reading. Both deal with why Jesus asks the same question three times. One suggests that it is balancing out the three times Peter denied Jesus, while the other went on the translation of the word Love – we have one word where as the Greek/Aramaic languages had many different words for Love. But for me, I’m liking the call. When Peter says he loves Jesus, he is told to feed his lambs, take care of his sheep and feed his sheep. When we say that we love God, likewise we are also called to feed the lambs, that is to bring people to Christ (young Christians), to take care of his sheep, that is, to provide those that are already Christians with resources to further their relationship with God, and to feed his sheep – teaching those who call themselves Christians about the wonder of God’s love, because we can never be reminded about it too many times.
This is a wonderful arrangement of the hymn “Spirit Song” – I love this hymn, especially the chorus: “Jesus, O Jesus, Come and fill your Lambs” and this line in the second verse: “O give Him all your tears and sadness Give Him all your years of pain and you’ll enter into life in Jesus’ name.”
Ben Clapton 