"Why should the devil have all the good tunes?" is a question attributed to a number of people (eg Martin Luther, John Wesley, George Whitfield, William Booth) to make the point that there's no reason why good, popular tunes shouldn't be used with Christian words to praise the Lord. (Of course, such tunes have to be old enough to be out of copyright before that can happen!). Before going any further, it seems that the most reliable attribution of the quote above is to the Revd Rowland Hill. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, E W Broome wrote in his book The Rev. Rowland Hill (1881), 'He did not see any reason why the devil should have all the good tunes'.
The earliest lyrics associated with the tune of Kelvingrove are about a young woman, forced to marry the man who had raped her because she became pregnant as a result. According to Traditional Tune Archive, this song was published in the second volume of The Scottish Minstrel (c 1811). The tune was there called Kelvin Water, "although the tune is much older than that volume." The name of the tune comes from Kelvingrove, which was described in The Book of Scottish Song (1843) as 'a picturesque and richly wooded dell through which the river Kelvin flows, [which] lies a very short distance to the north-west of Glasgow'. It was a popular place for lovers' trysts. In 1852, the land was purchased by Glasgow Town Council, and used to create West End Park, now known as Kelvingrove Park.
At least two more sets of words (each more sanitised than the last!) were written for the tune in the early nineteenth century. The version of the words which appeared in The Harp of Renfewshire (1821) refers to the tune as Bonnie lassie, O. It seems that this tune is best described as a traditional Scottish tune, whose origins (before 1811) are lost in the mists of time.
The advantage of using a traditional tune like this, especially one with its origins in the oral folk tradition, is that its very 'singable', and already fairly well known. As Dr C Michael Hawn (see link below) points out, Scottish (along with Welsh and Irish) folk tunes provide a Celtic flavour, which is currently popular. Kelvingrove appears to have originally been played in 2/4 time, but there is a 3/4 version which is often used with Will you come and follow me? (In Anglican Hymns Old and New (Kevin Mayhew, 2008), versions in both time signatures are given).
The lyrics Will you come and follow me? were written by John Bell and Graham Maule of the Iona Community. John Bell also arranged the 3/4 version of the tune, although I don't know if the time signature was original to him. The copyright date for the hymn is 1987. The words take the form of a dialogue between Jesus and his followers - the first four verses of the hymn are Jesus' challenge to those who would follow him, and the final verse their (our) response. The hymn emphasizes the radical nature of the Lord's call on our lives, a call which Jesus himself describes in these words: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Mark 8:34). Dr C Michael Hawn, in his article in the United Methodist Church History of Hymns, calls the text 'prophetic', and points out that it uses 'many words not usually found in traditional hymns'.
In the three decades plus since the publication of Will you come and follow me? it has become a very popular hymn, which lends itself to both traditional and contemporary worship. I find it both highly challenging (there's no room for compromise in following Christ's call), but also very enjoyable to sing.
I found two Songs of Praise videos of this hymn. Sadly, they both omit the third verse.
- This one was recorded in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, where I was ordained priest in 1998 - I even spotted a few members of my former church family in St Mary Halewood amongst the congregation!
- I've also included this one, because it was recorded in Glasgow, where the tune Kelvingrove originates.
If you want to hear all five verses, there's a lyric video here.
Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash
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