Now the Green Blade Rises
A writer for the website Aleteia refers to this song as a “hymn full of metaphors.” The lyrics were written by Anglican chaplain John (J.M.C.) Crum in the early 20th century. Mr. Crum specifically wrote the words to be set to the tune “Noel Nouvelet,” often simply referred to as a French Carol. Some of you may know the tune from “Sing we now of Christmas, sing we all Noel.”
Along with this church duties, Crum wrote children’s stories and songs. Perhaps his practice of seeing things through the eyes of children informed his vivid imagery. The song has a Biblical reference in John 12:24 when Jesus uses a grain of wheat to illustrate his coming hour of glory. “...unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
The performance linked above begins with a lovely solo by a young woman named Laura Wright, then the scene opens up to a “congregational choir” like the one in yesterday’s video.
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