Wayne Watson does a song based on this poem. Somehow or other, I've known for years that Myra Brooks Welch was the author.
I DO NOT BELIEVE that God GIVES us infirmities to make us stronger (or "discipline" us for that matter). I do believe that what we do with an infirmity can bring glory to God. Obviously, this woman's faith rose above physical problems.
That poem is one of my favorites. I read it at my mother's memorial service.
Thanks, d miller. Great background.So, Dooj, did the Gospel singer recite it to music like vpw did? Suda
It was JD Sumner: And this was recorded towards the end of his life, so you can just imagine how it sounded when he was younger. VP would have heard this.
I always loved that poem. And for some reason, I too have known that it was by Myra Brooks Welch. But I didn't know anything about her or of her handicap. Thanks David!
Jonny & Watered Garden you most likely knew because it was properly credited with her name in the little Album of Verse Booklets that were sold in the bookstore over the years in various reprints.
Jonny & Watered Garden you most likely knew because it was properly credited with her name in the little Album of Verse Booklets that were sold in the bookstore over the years in various reprints.
Or they might have read the thread where you and I discussed this poem.
I don't believe that I could say that in each and every case through the years that poem was read it was properly credited without exception. But I do believe that in most cases it was one of the things that VPW used that was. I personally, in all the many times on tape and in person that I heard it read don't recall it credited as anonymous. You may remember differently. Could it have been read at some point without a credit? Maybe , But I think through the record of print and tape one can see that more often than not it was properly credited. I would submit that speaks to the intent more so than the one or two exceptions.
I don't believe that I could say that in each and every case through the years that poem was read it was properly credited without exception. But I do believe that in most cases it was one of the things that VPW used that was.
Not when I heard him read it.
I personally, in all the many times on tape and in person that I heard it read don't recall it credited as anonymous. You may remember differently. Could it have been read at some point without a credit? Maybe.
It was when I heard him. I find it hard to imagine that was the ONLY time he ever left it off.
But I think through the record of print and tape one can see that more often than not it was properly credited. I would submit that speaks to the intent more so than the one or two exceptions.
I'd need access to extensive records of print and tape to speak on that with any degree of confidence.
But, more importantly, I'd have to CARE enough to review all those records over a poem.
What is the big deal if it was not credited? As long as it wasn't attributed to VP as the writer, it doesn't really matter if it was properly credited, to me anyways. Lots of things are spoken of and recited without proper accreditation. I was just telling a friend about how awesome it was to be playing in a band in a bar and how utterly cool it was to be playing my harmonica along with "After Midnight (we're gonna let it all hang down)", and I never mentioned the writer or the one who made it famous.
I too think the poem is truly inspired. It stirs the heartstrings, doesn't it? I think Dr. did a good job when he recited it. What a conundrum about how deeply DrW was moved by others' work... whether it was theological or artistic. He was an "adapter" and an adopter. Remember the Way Corps poem thingy? He "rewrote" Van Dyke:
What constitutes a school?
Not ancient halls and ivy mantled towers where dull traditions rule,
not spacious pleasure courts and lofty temples of athletic fame
where devotees of sport mistake a pastime for life’s highest aim,
not fashion or renown or wealthy patronage and rich estate.
Not one of these can crown a school with light and make it truly great.
But teachers strong and wise who teach because they love the teacher’s task
and find their richest prize in eyes that open and minds that ask.
Henry van Dyke
What is the Way Corps?
third to last line: "but equipped believers, ambassadors strong and wise, who teach..."
I think I can quote a line from Kahlil Gibran ... I remember reading it in college:
"They dip their pens in our hearts, and think they are inspired."
I hooked up with Lonnell Johnson because years ago, I had one of his poems on my website. He was Googling for another poem I had on the site, and my site came up. Alongside the poem he was seeking was one of his own poems. He wrote me, saying... "imagine my delight..."
We later hooked up in person... I drove out to Shippensburg University, where he was doing a lecture on the blues. Had a great time with him afterwards over coffee, and sang him a song or two in the parking lot with my guitar. He's still Lonnell!
What is the big deal if it was not credited? As long as it wasn't attributed to VP as the writer, it doesn't really matter if it was properly credited, to me anyways.
Since you asked....
We had this poem:
"God has no hands but our hands
with which to give His people bread.
God has no feet but our feet
with which to walk amoung the almost dead.
We say that we are His,and He is ours.
Deeds are the proof of this, not words,
And these are the proving hours."
which was written in the fourteenth century by St Teresa of Avila,
which some people went around, convinced vpw wrote it.
He hadn't given the writer's name, you see.
(Someone posted about how-when they read this poem once- another wayfer
insisted it was a vpw original, not Teresa of Avila.)
Then there was "If a Million People Love You",
which seems impossible to track to its original,
but versions predate when vpw started using it,
and vpw labelled it "by vpw" when the Album of Verse was printed.
When it was not credited, either quickly or slowly, it was taken to mean whatever it means when one
is writing something without attribution- "I wrote this."
Lots of things are spoken of and recited without proper accreditation. I was just telling a friend about how awesome it was to be playing in a band in a bar and how utterly cool it was to be playing my harmonica along with "After Midnight (we're gonna let it all hang down)", and I never mentioned the writer or the one who made it famous.
*rolls eyes*
When a garage band or whatever's playing, few people would expect the band to name who played
all the songs they're playing, unless asked.
They're a garage band. When they play something ORIGINAL, THEN there's an announcement.
Now,
if you put out an album, and don't put any credits on, that would be a different story...
thanks dmiller!................i, for one never knew who the author of this poem was......until reading this thread...........her poem, and her "story" are both remarkable!..........thanks for posting this!..............thanks to you too, doojable, for posting that j.d. sumnner rendition of it...........i much prefer having that rendition in my mind than the one i had before!.......................................................peace!
which was written in the fourteenth century by St Teresa of Avila,
which some people went around, convinced vpw wrote it.
He hadn't given the writer's name, you see.
(Someone posted about how-when they read this poem once- another wayfer
insisted it was a vpw original, not Teresa of Avila.)
I never thought he wrote the poem, and just because someone got their facts wrong or assumed something that they should not have. That somehow makes someone else responsible for their error? Like Jonny said people quote things all the time without giving the history behind it. He may not have given the author he also did not say he wrote it either, if you assume things that's your fault. I did not author the phrase .... happens either but I have said it I don't think anyone assumed I wrote it.
What is the big deal if it was not credited? As long as it wasn't attributed to VP as the writer, it doesn't really matter if it was properly credited, to me anyways. Lots of things are spoken of and recited without proper accreditation. I was just telling a friend about how awesome it was to be playing in a band in a bar and how utterly cool it was to be playing my harmonica along with "After Midnight (we're gonna let it all hang down)", and I never mentioned the writer or the one who made it famous.
Go to your Cd's. Pick one out where someone has done a cover song. Right there you'll see who the writer is.
It's called honesty. Yes, it can be argued that it is motivated by money through royalties, but it is also giving credit to the talent behind the song.
Go to your Cd's. Pick one out where someone has done a cover song. Right there you'll see who the writer is.
It's called honesty. Yes, it can be argued that it is motivated by money through royalties, but it is also giving credit to the talent behind the song.
I understand this most certainly. But, if I was having a party, say, and played a shuffle of CDs for the evening's entertainment, do I have to make sure to give the proper credit to the musicians who wrote and performed it before each song is played?
And since it was properly credited in the Album of Verse Booklets that were sold in the bookstore over the years, then I wouldn't think it necessary to mention the author's name every time I presented the poem.
And, by the way, speaking of how people thought VP wrote so many things only to find out that he did not, here is this: Kinda funny: Since I had rarely been to many churches at all, I thought that almost every song in the Sing Along The Way songbooks were written by someone in The Way International! What a maroon! But, I was only eighteen then. I remember when my Mom first came to twig, when we started singing "I Come To The Garden Alone", I was surprised to hear her say that this had been one of her favorites ever since she was young. Silly me!
Jonny - NO. That poem was recited on "All Aboard" The album where VP did that poem along with others to a musical background.
IF the proper credits are on that album - then that may be the reason why some know the name of the author. I never owned the album - so I don't know. I bet White Dove has the answer... maybe you do..
I'm not saying the author wasn't given credit. I'm speculating why there seems to be confusion on the matter.
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doojable
There was an old Gospel singer... from the Cathedrals... I forget his name... but he did that poem. When I heard it I KNEW where vp got the idea.
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Suda
Thanks, d miller. Great background.
So, Dooj, did the Gospel singer recite it to music like vpw did?
Suda
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Watered Garden
Wayne Watson does a song based on this poem. Somehow or other, I've known for years that Myra Brooks Welch was the author.
I DO NOT BELIEVE that God GIVES us infirmities to make us stronger (or "discipline" us for that matter). I do believe that what we do with an infirmity can bring glory to God. Obviously, this woman's faith rose above physical problems.
That poem is one of my favorites. I read it at my mother's memorial service.
WG
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doojable
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polar bear
Thanks David-That was a great storey. Makes me think I have nothing to complain about.
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J0nny Ling0
I always loved that poem. And for some reason, I too have known that it was by Myra Brooks Welch. But I didn't know anything about her or of her handicap. Thanks David!
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WhiteDove
Thanks David
Jonny & Watered Garden you most likely knew because it was properly credited with her name in the little Album of Verse Booklets that were sold in the bookstore over the years in various reprints.
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WordWolf
Or they might have read the thread where you and I discussed this poem.
http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...mp;#entry252618
You mentioned it was in that book, correctly credited, back then.
Or seen where someone asked about it later, I gave the name of the author,
and said it was posted here AND online.
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Watered Garden
Could be, but I think I knew before that. Probably ran across it somewhere else, as my family always had religious poetry and writings hanging around.
WG
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WordWolf
Or they might have known some other way.
Seems I wasn't the only person who didn't see the Album of Verse,
but heard the poem, and seem to have heard it uncredited.
I'm stricter about PRINT, but I think that's not worth dismissing entirely.
That having been said, I don't want to push past making a note about it,
and am fine moving on from here.
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WhiteDove
I don't believe that I could say that in each and every case through the years that poem was read it was properly credited without exception. But I do believe that in most cases it was one of the things that VPW used that was. I personally, in all the many times on tape and in person that I heard it read don't recall it credited as anonymous. You may remember differently. Could it have been read at some point without a credit? Maybe , But I think through the record of print and tape one can see that more often than not it was properly credited. I would submit that speaks to the intent more so than the one or two exceptions.
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WordWolf
Not when I heard him read it.
It was when I heard him. I find it hard to imagine that was the ONLY time he ever left it off.I'd need access to extensive records of print and tape to speak on that with any degree of confidence.
But, more importantly, I'd have to CARE enough to review all those records over a poem.
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J0nny Ling0
What is the big deal if it was not credited? As long as it wasn't attributed to VP as the writer, it doesn't really matter if it was properly credited, to me anyways. Lots of things are spoken of and recited without proper accreditation. I was just telling a friend about how awesome it was to be playing in a band in a bar and how utterly cool it was to be playing my harmonica along with "After Midnight (we're gonna let it all hang down)", and I never mentioned the writer or the one who made it famous.
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anotherDan
I too think the poem is truly inspired. It stirs the heartstrings, doesn't it? I think Dr. did a good job when he recited it. What a conundrum about how deeply DrW was moved by others' work... whether it was theological or artistic. He was an "adapter" and an adopter. Remember the Way Corps poem thingy? He "rewrote" Van Dyke:
What is the Way Corps?
third to last line: "but equipped believers, ambassadors strong and wise, who teach..."
I think I can quote a line from Kahlil Gibran ... I remember reading it in college:
"They dip their pens in our hearts, and think they are inspired."
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anotherDan
speaking of poetry.
I hooked up with Lonnell Johnson because years ago, I had one of his poems on my website. He was Googling for another poem I had on the site, and my site came up. Alongside the poem he was seeking was one of his own poems. He wrote me, saying... "imagine my delight..."
We later hooked up in person... I drove out to Shippensburg University, where he was doing a lecture on the blues. Had a great time with him afterwards over coffee, and sang him a song or two in the parking lot with my guitar. He's still Lonnell!
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WordWolf
Since you asked....
We had this poem:
"God has no hands but our hands
with which to give His people bread.
God has no feet but our feet
with which to walk amoung the almost dead.
We say that we are His,and He is ours.
Deeds are the proof of this, not words,
And these are the proving hours."
which was written in the fourteenth century by St Teresa of Avila,
which some people went around, convinced vpw wrote it.
He hadn't given the writer's name, you see.
(Someone posted about how-when they read this poem once- another wayfer
insisted it was a vpw original, not Teresa of Avila.)
Then there was "If a Million People Love You",
which seems impossible to track to its original,
but versions predate when vpw started using it,
and vpw labelled it "by vpw" when the Album of Verse was printed.
When it was not credited, either quickly or slowly, it was taken to mean whatever it means when one
is writing something without attribution- "I wrote this."
*rolls eyes*
When a garage band or whatever's playing, few people would expect the band to name who played
all the songs they're playing, unless asked.
They're a garage band. When they play something ORIGINAL, THEN there's an announcement.
Now,
if you put out an album, and don't put any credits on, that would be a different story...
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RainbowsGirl
Thank You Dmiller,
For thoughtful bringing this up and providing the links!
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DontWorryBeHappy
thanks dmiller!................i, for one never knew who the author of this poem was......until reading this thread...........her poem, and her "story" are both remarkable!..........thanks for posting this!..............thanks to you too, doojable, for posting that j.d. sumnner rendition of it...........i much prefer having that rendition in my mind than the one i had before!.......................................................peace!
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WhiteDove
We had this poem:
I never thought he wrote the poem, and just because someone got their facts wrong or assumed something that they should not have. That somehow makes someone else responsible for their error? Like Jonny said people quote things all the time without giving the history behind it. He may not have given the author he also did not say he wrote it either, if you assume things that's your fault. I did not author the phrase .... happens either but I have said it I don't think anyone assumed I wrote it.
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doojable
Go to your Cd's. Pick one out where someone has done a cover song. Right there you'll see who the writer is.
It's called honesty. Yes, it can be argued that it is motivated by money through royalties, but it is also giving credit to the talent behind the song.
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socks
It's a wonderful poem. Thanks!
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J0nny Ling0
I understand this most certainly. But, if I was having a party, say, and played a shuffle of CDs for the evening's entertainment, do I have to make sure to give the proper credit to the musicians who wrote and performed it before each song is played?
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J0nny Ling0
And since it was properly credited in the Album of Verse Booklets that were sold in the bookstore over the years, then I wouldn't think it necessary to mention the author's name every time I presented the poem.
And, by the way, speaking of how people thought VP wrote so many things only to find out that he did not, here is this: Kinda funny: Since I had rarely been to many churches at all, I thought that almost every song in the Sing Along The Way songbooks were written by someone in The Way International! What a maroon! But, I was only eighteen then. I remember when my Mom first came to twig, when we started singing "I Come To The Garden Alone", I was surprised to hear her say that this had been one of her favorites ever since she was young. Silly me!
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doojable
Jonny - NO. That poem was recited on "All Aboard" The album where VP did that poem along with others to a musical background.
IF the proper credits are on that album - then that may be the reason why some know the name of the author. I never owned the album - so I don't know. I bet White Dove has the answer... maybe you do..
I'm not saying the author wasn't given credit. I'm speculating why there seems to be confusion on the matter.
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