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 old hymns.
Today’s song is Tell Out My Soul from 1961.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word;
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age the same;
his holy name, the Lord, the mighty One.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.
Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children’s children and for evermore!
I think of this as a very old hymn, but it isn’t. It’s from 1961. The word “soul” can have a range of meanings. Some see it as something tangible. I just think of it as the deepest part of myself. Deep down, I’m close to God, but the superficial side of me gets distracted. I need to tell the greatness of God to others, but also to myself 😀.
This one was written by Timothy Dudley Smith, who was an Anglican Bishop. He wrote several other well known hymns. This one was based on the Blessed Virgin Mary’s words in Luke 1. Some think that Protestants (including evangelicals) don’t believe in Mary. We do believe all the Bible says about Mary. We just don’t believe the legends and beliefs based on the speculations of theologians over the centuries. But like so many Scriptural characters, she’s a great example to use all.
Here are her words from the World English Bible (WEB) – I often use this for long passages because it doesn’t have copyright restrictions.
Luke 1:46-55
46 Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.
47 My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked at the humble state of his servant.
For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.
49 For he who is mighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for generations and generations on those who fear him.
51 He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down princes from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things.
He has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has given help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and his offspring forever.”
Mary’s song is deeply rooted in Old Testament passages, such as 1 Samuel 2:1–10. She clearly loved God’s word.
I do remember singing Tell Out My Soul back in the 1980s and 1990s – we used two different tunes. And I notice it being sung to the Finlandia tune too in one of the following videos:
Hibernia Gospel 