By flowing waters of Babylon
1 By flowing waters of Babylon
we hung our harps on the willows:
how shall we sing our Jehovah's song
in a foreign land, far away?
2 They who oppress us and mock our grief
tell us to sing and be merry:
how can we worship when spirits fail
in an alien land, far away?
3 If we forget you, Jerusalem,
may we keep silence for ever!
Still we remember our distant home
in another land, far away.
After Psalm 137, Michael Perry (1942 - 1996)
© Mrs B Perry/Jubilate Hymns
9 8 9 8 Irregular scansion