When a Knight won his spurs in the stories of old...

[TheTecknician]

...He was gentle and brave, he was gallant and bold...

Anyone care to add a line or two or more ?

My Grandfather’s clock was too tall for the shelf so it stood ninety years on the floor. It was taller by half than the old man himself but it weighed not a pennyweight more. It was bought on the morn of the day that he was born and was always his pleasure and pride, but it stopped .. short .. never to go again, when the old man died.
Ninety years without slumbering tick-tock-tick-tock, his life’s seconds numbering tick-tock-tick, but it stopped… short… never to go again when the old man died.

The knight was gallant and bald, according to 5 year old me.

And yes, obviously, lord of the dance settee.

God of concrete, God of steel,
God of piston and of wheel… anyone?

My Mum, who died just three months short of her 90th birthday after 10 years of dementia could always be cheered by singing the hymns and songs of her youth. She came back to life and her former self, just for a bit.
She remembered all the words even when she didn’t remember me.

Hill of the north. Loved that.

went to a small church primary and none of the teachers could play the piano. A man called ‘old Jim’ used to come up from the village to play In assembly. He couldn’t play the piano either but figured if he hummed loudly enough while playing with one hand no one would notice.

there was one hymn that went something like ‘give me oil in my lamp keep me burning…sing Joanna’ we added in random hallelujahs in because it really annoyed the teacher but she couldn’t really complain about our enthusiasm.

Sing Hosanna! Not Joanna!

I loved Come and Praise. Although I never liked the one that went "Think of a world without any flowers". Rather a dismal tune.

When I was at primary school in the late 70s/early 80s you were allowed to choose the assembly hymn on your birthday.

We had these orange hymn books called Morning Has Broken and EVERYONE chose When a Knight Won his Spurs. It was number 42.

Thank you for reminding me

No, it’s “With a shield on his arm and a lance in his hand” (you couldn’t carry a lance and a spear, they’re essentially the same weapon)

Many years ago we had a holiday on the Lizard in Cornwall @Patchworksack and went into a village pub where the local male voice choir went after practice.
They sang “My Grandfather’s Clock” so beautifully I have never forgotten it. They then sang it as a “round” which was also lovely.

I loved singing these hymns at school. I felt really special to have my own copy of the hymn book too. It's going for £33 on EBay 😲

Wow! Memories!

I'll add Jesus' Hands were Kind Hands

And

Think of a World without any Flowers

I thought it was steer as in horse given he's already holding a lance

A steer is a castrated bullock, not a horse. You're thinking of a steed.

I loved this one:

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy:
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
2 Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe:
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.
3 Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace:
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
4 Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm:
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

We had a discussion only last night about these songs at home - I feel gutted that my children won't know them and don't seem to have their own versions. We don't take them to church as we are atheists so they don't know any hymns except Christmas carols.

Is there any way to give them this cultural heritage? I hate the thought that they don't have well stocked minds with these references. It started with me saying to DH in a conversation that a group of people at work "do but themselves confound" and DS saying what are you on about.

Anyone manage to expose their kids to hymns?

I mean I think "We thank you, Lord, for flowersantreesan SUN-shine" is probably ephemeral and can pass with the 80s and the jet planes refuelling...

But not to know Hills of the North, Lord of all Hopefulness, Morning has Broken... that's a loss, isn't it?

Jason Manford has a school assembly bangers album out 😂

If you want something a bit more highbrow, is Songs of Praise still on? I think some BBC radio stations probably do Sunday morning worship programmes, too.

Cat Stevens did a nice version of Morning Has Broken.

Anyone manage to expose their kids to hymns?

Yes, but that was because we took them to church.
Do schools not have assemblies now?
Mine learned some of the more modern and/or secular hymns/songs from those.

We always loved
Who put the colours in the rainbow? Who put the salt into the sea...

My kids sang Lord of the Dance in their very non religious school. Along side lots more atheist ones. Like Search for the Hero. Cheesy but nice message.

Loving all these.

My kids did things like Shakiras "try everything" and songs with good messages. Or songs Learning for choir (but not necessarily religious- Christmas was carols and popular songs)

So yes all gone.

That and skipping/clapping/elastics game rhymes...

@CupOfCoffeePlease. Loved elastics and clapping.

I went to a Chinese restaurant to buy a loaf of bread, they wrapped it up in a £5 note and this is what they said ...

What a lovely post to read I was in the school and a church choir when I was young and still sing hymns to myself. I especially love singing them when I’m on my bike, I just make sure no one is around when I am cycling up the canal.

There is a green hill faraway
Without a city wall
I didn't realise until well into adulthood that without meant outside in that context 😁.

And to answer the question posed above Anyone manage to expose their kids to hymns?
Yes - both my boys joined the church choir I sing in, and both ended up being organists.

My children went to a church school and church so I experienced all these beautiful hymns and more for many years. I still go to church occasionally despite being not so certain about my faith these days and love the words and meanings behind the hymns.
My sister had 'One more Step Along the World We go' at her wedding which was SO appropriate and I might ask for it at my funeral if there is one! I have the hymn books as my grandma used to be the church organist and i learned the piano so inherited her music books. Must dig them out again.