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WHAT I HAVE DONE (2011)
(AMAZING GRACE/HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN)
SATB a cappella, T or B soli
Commissioned by the New Richmond High School Kammerchor
Sacred/Folk
Sacred/Folk
Choral score
$1.60 per copy (you are buying a digital license)
Note:
“What I Have Done” combines the two well known songs ”Amazing Grace” and “House of the Rising Sun” into one stirring piece. A mixture of the two melodies and alternating stanzas of each lyric, the narrative tells of a man overcoming his life of sin by finding grace.
Text:
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Well, there is a house in New Orleans,
They call the Rising Sun,
And it’s been thae ruin of many a poor boy,
And God I know I’m one.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
Oh mother tell your children
Not to do what I have done,
Dont spend your lives in sin and misery,
In the House of the Rising Sun.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
- John Newton, “Amazing Grace”
- Traditional, “House of the Rising Sun”