"Blue Boat Home"

My wife and I really enjoyed our UU services today. We are coming up on our 1 year anniversary of attending the UU fellowship. I really like our minister; she is very honest with herself and encourages us to be as well through her sermons. I relate well with her as she is an atheist and spiritual, naturalistic humanist like myself.

Today, she spoke about solidarity and gave me a lot of food for thought. I love having my mind stimulated that way and to be able to share that with a whole community. And I was moved to tears as we sang "Blue Boat Home" which goes to the tune of the LDS hymn "In Humility, Our Savior".

You can hear a sample here. I copied the words below:

"Though below me, I feel no motion
Standing on these mountains and plains
Far away from the rolling ocean
Still my dry land heart can say
I've been sailing all my life now
Never harbor or port have I known
The wide universe is the ocean I travel
And the earth is my blue boat home


Sun, my sail, and moon my rudder
As I ply the starry sea
Leaning over the edge in wonder
Casting questions into the deep
Drifting here with my ship's companions
All we kindred pilgrim souls
Making our way by the lights of the heavens
In our beautiful blue boat home


I give thanks to the waves upholding me
Hail the great winds urging me on
Greet the infinite sea before me
Sing the sky my sailor's song
I was born upon the fathoms
Never harbor or port have I known
The wide universe is the ocean I travel
And the earth is my blue boat home"

Comments

Equality said…
We've sung this twice in the last year at the UU church I attend and I have "felt the Spirit" strongly both times. It's a beautiful arrangement and great lyrics.

Equality
Tue Oct 02, 03:32:00 PM PDT
Anonymous said…
It's an old tune called Hyfrydol, written by Rowland Hugh Pritchard dating all the way back to 1831. Several setts of lyrics have been put to this tune, including the LDS hymn along with 3 in the PC(USA) Hymnal. Peter Mayer's lyrics are quite moving and perhaps more spiritual than those found in mainstream hymnody.
Sat Mar 28, 08:13:00 PM PDT
J said…
Sang this today at UU congregation during a celebration of life of a member who had recently past. It wasn't the 1st time I sung in it my 2 years as a UU. It's easily my favorite hymm.

I didn't have a hymnal so I Google the lyrics. As I sang, I noticed the tune was familiar. It wasn't until this article did I realize it was also the tune of an LDS sacrament song I've sung any times in the past. Seems fitting somehow.

Sat Dec 08, 09:02:00 PM PST
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