I like to read the stories behind the songs. My favorite was about a song written by Rev. Joseph Gilmore. The thing that intrigued about this story is that the song was published even before Rev. Gilmore knew he had written the words!
Well, here’s the words, and the story afterward:
Words: Joseph H. Gilmore, 1862 (1834-1918)
Music: William B Bradbury, Golden Censer (New York: 1864)
1. He leadeth me, O blessèd thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
Refrain:
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.
2. Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, over troubled sea,
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.
3. Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.
4. And when my task on earth is done,
When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.
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Joseph Gilmore was a recent graduate of Newton Theological Institution. In March of 1862 he was filling in for a pastor at the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia. For the midweek service he had chosen the 23rd Psalm as his text. He had expounded on it 3 or 4 times before at other places.
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He leadeth me . . . “ As he read that last phrase; he later related: “Those words took hold of me as they had never done before, and I saw them in a significance and wondrous beauty of which I had never dreamed.”
He finished the service but did not remember what all he said because he was thinking about how wonderful it was when God leads us. After service they went to Deacon Watson’s home and Mr. Watson kept talking about the thought he had emphasized that evening. While they were talking, Rev Gilmore took one of the blank pages of his notes for the night, and while talking with his host, wrote something down. He handed the paper to his wife and thought no more about it. After they returned to their home, his wife sent it to “The Watchman and Reflector”, a paper published in Boston, where it was first printed. “I did not know until 1865 that my hymn had been set to music by William Bradbury. I went to Rochester [New York] to preach as a candidate before the Second Baptist Church. Going into their chapel on arrival in the city, I picked up a hymnal to see what they were singing, and opened it at my own hymn, “He Leadeth Me.” [i]
Incidentally, he was chosen to become pastor at that church and continued in that position for 3 years!
In 1868 Gilmore would become the professor of rhetoric and logic at the University of Rochester, New York where he would give leadership to the English dept. for the next 30 years. Publishing books like The Art of Expression in 1876 and Outlines of English and American Literature in 1905 - integrating his firm Christian faith with the literary classics. [ii]
William Bradbury was a musician who was the music editor at Biglow and Main, book publishers. He wrote music to many songs before his passing in 1868. He would search out poems and then write music to fit the words. Sometimes he would write music and then look for words fit the music.
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