If it had not been for the Lord

If it had not been for the Lord (‘Where would I be’). Margaret Pleasant Douroux* (1941- )  Of the 300 songs written by Margaret Pleasant Douroux, two of her signature compositions are ‘Give me a clean heart’* (1970) and ‘If it had not been for the Lord’ (‘Where would I be’) (1980). The latter song is inspired directly by African American experience in the United States and from the psalter. Compare the eight verses of Psalm 124 with the refrain and first stanza of Douroux’s song: If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled...