And you can see why. “Amazing Grace” is one of the most beloved and well-known spiritual songs of all time, so it is not surprising that many choose to have it played at their memorial services. At age 11 Newton’s father took him to sea on his ship. Bagpipes are especially common at the funerals of American firefighters and policemen, because when the great wave of Scottish and Irish immigrants came over in the mid-1850’s they were looked down upon and had to take the hardest jobs that no one else wanted, including the police and firefighters. One of the most beloved hymns of all time is John Newton’s Amazing Grace, not only among Christians, but also among many non-Christians.Its widespread acclaim crosses all boundaries of the belief spectrum, it seems. Grace is what saves you, holds you and, finally, gets you Home before the dark. So. Newton did this for six years until his father retired, with the plan being that Newton would now go to work on a sugar plantation in Jamaica. This is one of the many, many times when I so want to sit down with someone from the past and ask questions: “Did you know that this was a slave ship before you joined it?” “Did that bother you?” “Did you ever come face to face with the reality of the conditions before deck for the captured Africans?” I actually do have an answer for the last question, as Newton wrote extensively in his pamphlet “Thoughts on the African Slave Trade” about the conditions on board these ships: I have known them so close, that the shelf would not, easily, contain one more. The […], The Cherry Creek Chorale What’s not to like? How Is the Song “Men of Harlech” Connected to 9/11? Grace has a nice ring to it. How did we get African-American spirituals? But not only did Newton observe the plight of captured slaves; he was one himself. People love the concept of grace. Email: info@cherrycreekchorale.org (Marketing) Greenwood Village, CO 80155 This practice was very common and indeed sanctioned by the government as a means of keeping Her Majesty’s Navy fully staffed. is Yancey's best-known book, having sold more than 15 million copies by 2006. Let it be observed, that the poor creatures, thus cramped for want of room, are likewise in irons, for the most part both hands and feet, and two together, which makes it difficult for them to turn or move, to attempt either to rise or to lie down, without hurting themselves, or each other. I’m not sure how he accomplished this, but he somehow managed to get himself onto another, non-military ship: the slave trader Pegasus. One of the absolute highlights of Amazing Grace is the finale when the cast performs a stirring and emotional rendition of the title song that brings audiences to their feet, so now we send off Amazing Grace with 25 other fantastic covers of “Amazing Grace”. A sailor, previously a slave trader, wrote the words to “Amazing Grace”. (The smaller, lighter boys were considered especially suited for this last task.) Be sure to go on to the next post to read the rest of Newton’s story and how this hymn by a former slave trader became an icon of the civil rights movement. It was written by an Englishman who helped inspire William Wilberforce who abolished the Slave trade and slavery in … Learn the story behind Amazing Grace, read the complete lyrics and watch a … I used the example in an earlier post about fractals, those designs that reveal new layers as they are magnified. And “Amazing Grace” was a popular funeral song, … The words to "Amazing Grace" were written in the 18th century by John Newton. "Amazing Grace" is a song about one man's real and ugly sin — the sin of slavery. Let it be observed, that the poor creatures, thus cramped for want of room, are likewise in irons, for the most part both hands and feet, and two together, which makes it difficult for them to turn or move, to attempt either to rise or to lie down, without hurting themselves, or each other. So I’ll go ahead and give you this interesting tidbit now, since I promised it in the title. He would have held the position of “ship’s boy” or “cabin boy,” which consisted of running errands for the captain, often taking messages from one end of the ship to the other, carrying water for the galley cook, tying knots, and scrambling up into the rigging to help trim the sails. (Wikipedia). Most notably, Judy Collins’ version of the hymn was released as a single for the Christmas season of 1970, peaking at number 15 on the U.S. ("Amazing Grace," perhaps the most popular funeral song, was written by British sailor John Newton after a fierce storm pounded his ship when it was sailing near the coast of Ireland.) Texas, asked, “Why is God’s amazing grace so amazing?” The more than seventy people who were gathered before him gave two answers: “First, because His grace is free, and second, because we do not deserve it.” All of us con-cluded that the last of the two stands … “Amazing Grace” is arguably the best-known and most-sung hymn in America—maybe the world. Real life, however, is seldom if ever so simple and straightforward. I guess there was some residual fatherly feeling there, in spite of everything. (Yes, Ireland has bagpipes too.) 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