I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the in-between hymns.
Today’s song is We Are Marching (Siyahamba), from 1980.
This one always instantly lifts me in the way that Wings of a Dove by Madness did back in 1983 – but much more so because it’s more explicit about the source of the joy.
It’s not an easy one to sing, but I think we attempted it a few times in my fellowship in Tipperary back in 2017, when I first discovered it. The chorus existed, at least since the 1950s, in Zulu‑speaking Christian communities and was likely sung informally long before it was written down. Funnily enough, it was popularized by a Swedish singing group – Fjedur. It’s always delightful to see how hymns spread around the world. I’d love to learn one hymn from every nation. Maybe we’ll do that in heaven, but why not try it down here too?
Revelation 7:9
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
It might be fun for me to start doing some YouTube research and build a playlist of hymns from every nation, or as many as I can find.
Anyway, the lyrics of today’s hymn are quite simple – Marching, Living, Moving, Dancing. Years ago, like so many others in my camp, I used to sneer at the newer hymns because they said little theologically. But variety is the spice of life. And you can have a strong awareness of God’s presence without analyzing all the lyrics. I wouldn’t like to lose the theologically rich hymns, but they don’t all need to be theologically rich. The same applies to our prayers. This hymn also has a great sense of togetherness. I feel united to all believers around the world when I sing it.
Anyway, here are some other versions. It’s interesting to see how it touches so many different strands of Christianity, not just evangelicals.
This is my first time finding a hymn from the city in which I currently dwell – Limerick 😀.
Hibernia Gospel 