I've been listening to Chris Tomlin's version of "O Worship The King" non-stop this evening. It's one of my favorite hymns ever, and I love the energy that Tomlin's arrangement coaxes out of a single chord, not to mention the skillful interplay between the organ, electric guitar, and drum kit. But there's one little piece of it that bugs me. Just one little itty bitty line in the extra chorus he wrote. It just doesn't make any sense. Here's the phrase:

You alone are the matchless King
To You alone be all majesty
Your glories and wonders, what tongue can recite?
You breathe in the air, You shine in the light

It's the phrase "You breathe in the air" that gets to me. What exactly is that supposed to mean? God doesn't breathe air. I can't figure it out. Tomlin is trying to crib from one of the original stanzas, but his attempt at "second person"-izing it falls flat. In my confusion I went back to the original text, and interestingly enough, it makes just about as much sense as the revised version (i.e. not much):

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

I like the imagery a bit here, but still can't figure out the line. How exactly does God's care "breathe in the air"? I think what they're trying to say is that we experience God's care when we inhale a breath of fresh air, but of course that's far from what the line says.

So, in light of my confusion, and in the long and glorious tradition of hymn tweaking, I'm asking for your help in finding a further refinement (or a completely different line) that will 1) fit the theme of the verse, 2) fit the rhythm of Tomlin's chorus, and 3) make more sense than the above. The winning response (as judged by me) will be used in EBC's worship service on the 8th of February. So get cracking, budding songwriters!

Currently Hymns Ancient and Modern By Passion O Worship The King see related