This blog is dedicated to the amateur or beginner musician with music written in a simple and easy to read Alpha Notes format and with Chords for the left hand. This is to assist those with little or hardly at all note reading skills. This is a blog that shows all the chords in Alpha Notes format too which you can find the notes for the chords in one of the blogs. Please feel free to leave a comment or any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!
This African
American spiritual may date back to the eighteenth century. Other stanzas have
been added by oral tradition. A look through modern hymnals will reveal an
array of variations on the text. The most notable alteration in the Psalter
Hymnal is the phrase "to the Lord of life" in place of the original
"to the rising sun," in which "sun" was an ambiguous
metaphor referring to God. The song's use at communion services probably dates
from after the American Civil War. Miles Mark Fisher notes in Negro Slave Songs
in the United States (1953),
[Originally
the hymn] relates hardly at all to holy communion, which does not necessarily
require early morning administration or a devotee who faces east. [This] it
seems was a signal song of Virginia slaves during the eighteenth century who
used it and similar ones to convene their secret meetings.
The text
discerns participation in the Lord's Supper as a humble act in which we not
only eat the bread (st. 1) and drink the wine (st. 2) but also praise our God
(st. 3) "on our knees." The refrain ends with a prayer for mercy, an
African American kyrie (see PHH 258) that reminds us of the tax collector's
prayer in Luke 18:13.
To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
Lyrics:
1 Let us
break bread together on our knees.
Let us break
bread together on our knees.
Refrain:
When I fall
on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord have
mercy on me.
2 Let us
drink wine together on our knees.
Let us drink
wine together on our knees. [Refrain]
3 Let us
praise God together on our knees.
Let us
praise God together on our knees. [Refrain]
"Fill My Cup, Lord" was written by Richard Blanchard, (Mar. 14, 1925 – April 19, 2004) he was a songwriter who was widely known for writing the popular "Fill My Cup, Lord" (gospel song).
He was born in 1925 in Chungking, China, to Methodist missionary parents Ralph and Grace Kipka Blanchard. When the Blanchard family returned home to the United States, Richard grew up as a child and youth in Indiana and North Carolina. Rev. Ralph Blanchard moved from Wolcottville, Indiana, to Tryon, North Carolina, in 1942, bringing his family with him. Blanchard was a senior in high school and graduated from Tryon High School in 1943. During that year, he worked at a Tryon bank, putting his income into war bonds. This financial tactic eventually enabled him to buy lakefront property at Lake Conway, Orange County, Florida, in 1953.
There were other interests and hobbies that were consistent throughout Blanchard's life: He loved boating and dining by the water. He was an avid traveler, whether conducting tours or driving on his own, in over 75 countries. Blanchard had a fondness for fine art and art museums. He followed sports closely and often attended various spectator-sports events. A believer that a busy mind is a sharp mind, Blanchard enjoyed word games such as Scrabble as well as collecting stamps and coins. Above all, however, Blanchard enjoyed meeting, learning about, and helping people. By 2000, Blanchard's health began a serious decline. He and his wife Anne moved to Swannanoa, North Carolina, to be near their children. He lived there until his death on April 19, 2004.
Blanchard was ordained a deacon in 1949 and an elder in 1950, after serving two years as pastor of the four-church ("four-point")[1] Snellville-Grayson circuit of the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church. Transferring to the Florida Conference in 1950, Blanchard completed 40 years in the ministry of the Methodist Church (which became The United Methodist Church on April 23, 1968[2]), serving the following congregations: First Methodist in Orlando as associate pastor; then as senior pastor, Wesley, Coral Gables; First Methodist in Fort Lauderdale; Trinity Methodist in Miami; Palma Ceia in Tampa; First Methodist in Jacksonville; Riviera Beach Methodist; Community Methodist in Holiday; and Conway Methodist in Orlando. Retiring in 1988, Blanchard later renewed his participation in First United Methodist in Orlando and became a member of the Pendergrass Sunday School Class.
During the late-1980s, Blanchard wrote a beautiful musical, “Francis of Assisi,” which was produced by Glenn Longacre of Conway for an audience of 600 people. During this period, he was also named “Minister Emeritus” of the Conway Church. In addition to writing numerous gospel songs—many of which were published and recorded—Blanchard also wrote other things. While at Snellville as a young theolog, he wrote a column called Between You and Me every week for the Wesleyan Christian Advocate, the Methodist paper for North and South Georgia. He also wrote a story called “The Little Star” which was published in Ideals magazine. Blanchard was selected to write an official biography of Bishop John Branscomb. Blanchard completed “We Remember John” in time for the dedication of the Branscomb Memorial Auditorium in Lakeland, Florida.
Certainly Blanchard's most famous song was "Fill My Cup, Lord" (which became a classic). During the 1970s the song was popularized throughout much of the United States by Blanchard's close friend, musician and evangelist Rev. Ray Vaughn.
To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
Lyrics:
1
Like the woman at the well, I was seeking For things that could not satisfy. And then I heard my Savior speaking— “Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”
Fill my cup, Lord; I lift it up Lord; Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more. Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.
2
There are millions in this world who are seeking For pleasures earthly goods afford. But none can match the wondrous treasure That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.
3
So my brother if the things that this world gives you Leave hungers that won’t pass away, My blessed Lord will come and save you If you kneel to Him and humbly pray—
