Hymn of the Week: Lonely the Boat
Glory to God #185

Text Helen Kim 1921. English translation Hae Jong Kim 1980
Versified by Hope Kawashima
Music Dong Hoon Lee 1967

October 4, we will be celebrating World Communion with churches around the globe. This week, I thought it would be great to look at a hymn from Korea.

Lonely the Boat

Lonely the boat, sailing at sea, tossed on a cold stormy night;
Cruel the sea which seemed so wide, with waves so high.
This single ship sailed the deep sea, straight into the gale:
O Lord, great is the peril, dangers do all assail.

Strong winds arose in all their rage, tossing the tiny lone boat;
Waves billowing high, tossing the boat, lost and afloat.
The sailor stood all alone, wondering what to do;
O Lord, so helpless was he, wondering what to do.

Trembling with fear, deep in despair, looking for help all around,
The sailor saw light from above, “Help can be found;
My God is here in my small boat, standing by my side;
O, I trust in the Savior, now in my life abide.”

“Pleading for your mercy, O Lord, even a sinner like me;
Command O lord, calm to the sea, as in Galilee!
Please save my life from all danger, grant a peaceful life;
O please be merciful, Lord, in times of calm and strife.”

Storms in our lives cruel and cold, surely will arise again,
Threatening lives, threatening us on life’s wild sea.
Powerful and great, God’s hand is there, firmly in control.
O Lord, calm peace comes from you, peace comes to my lone soul.

"Lonely the Boat" is based on the narrative of Jesus' stilling the storm found in Mathew 8:23-27 and two other gospels. The original Korean text was translated by Hae Jong Kim (b. 1935), the first Korean United Methodist bishop (1992-2005), in 1980, appearing for the first time in its current form in the United Methodist Asian hymn resource, Hymns from the Four Winds(1983), with music composed by Korean composer Dong Hoon Lee (b. 1945) in 1967. Lee’s music, though harmonized in a Western-style, draws upon the lilting 6/8 meter found in many Korean folk songs.

Written in Korean in 1921 during the thirty-five-year Japanese annexation of Korea, the English text acknowledges this shameful reality veiled in the metaphors of a "lonely boat" (Korea) that is "tossed on a cold, stormy night" in a "cruel sea which seemed so wide, with waves so high."

Just as Christ calmed the storm and brought safety to those in the small craft, God’s "powerful and great" hand is "firmly in control" and will bring "peace to my lone soul" (stanza four).

"Lonely the Boat" still offers comfort and hope to a world full of war and terrorism. Reared in an occupied country, Helen Kim understood the value of freedom. She is quoted on the Columbia University website: "Freedom is not just a word here, not just a concept taken for granted. Its meaning is in the air we breathe, in our thoughts, in our hearts."

Enjoy the organ solo from our very own pipe organ in the Sanctuary as we will be moving the console to the Music rehearsal space on October 5 during our period of construction.

Hymn Of The Week: September 28, 2020