REFORMED SONGS..... No. 58 & 50

[Queen Esther]

REFORMED SONGS.....
Numerous songs or songs, in the new book, have been reformed based on a more refined knowledge and a change of circumstances in the organization. A single example, the current song 58, which will become song 50 in the new book. Here it is copied in English, but you can clearly see how words change and even complete lines. For example, the word LORD is not used, but JAH. And it is highlighted in yellow as two verses are inserted in which it expresses to Jehovah our desire to give all our gold and our silver in the form of donations.
Also the songs will make many of us define ourselves if we are inside or outside, singing with enthusiasm and without prejudice.

[JW Insider]

This song has an interesting history. The tune has changed a few times, but many of the lyrics have remained true to the original words as they were written by Frances Havergal, as she wrote them in December 1874. (Not a Bible Student or a JW, of course). She actually gave up most of her own silver and gold as reported:

She wrote, “[I shipped] off all my ornaments, including a jewel cabinet which is really fit for a countess, to the Church Missionary Society where they will be accepted and disposed of for me. I retain only a brooch for daily wear, which is a memorial of my dear parents. I had no idea I had such a jeweler's shop; nearly fifty articles are being packed off. I don't think I need tell you I never packed a box with such pleasure.”

Here is the near equivalent as it is still sung in various religions of Christendom (https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/445):

 

1	Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2	Take my hands, and let them move At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee, Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3	Take my voice, and let me sing Always, only, for my King; Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages from Thee, Filled with messages from Thee.
4	Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and use Every power as Thou shalt choose, Every power as Thou shalt choose.
5	Take my will, and make it Thine; It shall be no longer mine. Take my heart; it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne, It shall be Thy royal throne.
6	Take my love; my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure-store. Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee, Ever, only, all for Thee.

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The way I remember this song is the way we sang it in the Kingdom Hall up until 1966 as shown in the picture attached below. This was my grandmother's favorite Kingdom Song, and my mother still sings it every now and then while doing dishes or cooking:

Note that the words: "Take my silver and my gold / Nothing Lord would I withhold" are now back to the exact equivalent of the pre-1966 version. (Prior to that it was called "Consecration" in the previous songbook before 1950, otherwise pretty much the same words. It actually goes back to Kingdom Song Books from 1925, 1928, 1944 and 1950.)

The order of the verses was switched around, but most of the verses from the old Kingdom Song 74, below, are taken from Frances Havergal's hymn. The tune is very catchy, and many JWs were sorry to see it dropped when the pink songbook came out in 1966.
 

[JW Insider]

Just noticed that the Kingdom Song book in 1944 was even closer to the original hymn from 1874:

 

[JW Insider]

Our 1924 Songbook, called "Kingdom Hymns" had the song without the "silver and gold" line, probably because this particular songbook was geared toward the youth in the congregation (see Preface, attached below). But in this one, the words were actually attributed directly to Frances Havergal, although the tune was just a little different based on some music from Mozart. (Actually, if you play the Mozart-based version on the piano, you can see that it was actually the basis for the version of the music that I remember singing until 1966, the year before I was baptized.)

 

[JW Insider]

And, just for sake of completeness . . . the 337-song Song Book that came out in 1928 became the new foundation for dozens of songs that we sang for more than 50 years and a few of which we still sing today. It was reduced to small fraction of its songs in the next 1944 Song Book, but several were put back in the 1950 Song Book and many remained right up until 2009. Very few of the 1928 songs remain today, but most of us can probably still remember some of the music and lyrics, especially the ones that survived up until the 2009 song book. 

In the 1928 Song Book, the credit to Frances Havergal was dropped, and credit for the tune (that we used from 1928 until 1966) was now given to Horton.