Thou art before me, Lord, thou art behind

Thou art before me, Lord, thou art behind. Ian Pitt-Watson* (1923-1995). This metrical paraphrase of verses from Psalm 139 was written for CH3. Stanzas 1-4 are based on verses 1-12 of the Psalm; stanza 5 on verses 23-24. It was included in HP, with alterations to stanza 2 (see below) but otherwise in its original form, before being transferred to the ‘you’ form in RS. It is found in CH4, in which the word ‘Lord’ has been replaced by ‘God’, perhaps in response to the ideas on ‘Lordship’ of Brian Wren*. This has not improved the text. The great beauty of Pitt-Watson’s lines was the supple and elegant succession of syllables, which made them easy and satisfying to sing. Now ‘Then where, Lord,...