“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
This hymn, originally for children, first appeared in an 1836 volume entitled Hymns for the Young, compiled by Dorothy A. Thrupp. Many hymnologists have attributed the words to Mrs. Thrupp, but her authorship is uncertain. One early hymnbook attributed it to Henry Francis Late; but that, too, is doubtful.
There’s no doubt, however, about the composer of the music. It was the famous William Bradbury, one of the most prolific hymnodists of the nineteenth century. A native of York, Maine, William moved to Boston at age fourteen to enroll in the Boston Academy of Music. There he joined Lowell Mason’s choir at the Bowdoin Street Church.
Lowell Mason was a banker-turned-composer who became the first American to receive a Doctorate in Music from an American university. A dedicated Christian, he had written the tunes for such hymns as:
Joy to the World!
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Nearer, My God, to Thee
From Greenland’s Icy Mountains
Mason was passionate about training children in sacred music.
Recognizing that young William Bradbury had an inborn talent, Mason sought to encourage him at every turn. Soon William was playing the organ under Mason’s watchful eye, and earning a whopping $25 a year in the process.
William was so inspired by his mentor that he moved to New York City to do there what Mason had been doing in Boston — encouraging the Christian musical education of children. He organized and led children’s singing conventions, encouraged music in the New York school system, and publishing Sunday school songbooks. During his lifetime, fifty-nine separate books appeared under his name.
Bradbury set in motion a great change in American church music. Prior to his work, most hymns were heavy, noble, and stately. William wanted to write lighter melodies that children could sing.
In doing so, William Bradbury helped usher in the era of gospel music. He may not have realized that adults would sing his hymns as readily as children would, but he paved the way for the likes of Fanny Crosby and Ira Sankey. Today Bradbury is remembered as the musical composer of such favorite hymns as:
He Leadeth Me
The Solid Rock
Just As I Am
Jesus Loves Me
Sweet Hour of Prayer
and this one — Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us. Here are the words to this beloved hymn:
Savior, like a shepherd lead us; Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us; For our use Thy folds prepare.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast bought us; Thine we are.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast bought us; Thine we are.
We are Thine; do Thou befriend us; Be the Guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock; from sin defend us; Seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Hear, O hear us when we pray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Hear, O hear us when we pray.
Thou hast promised to receive us, Poor and sinful tho’ we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us, grace to cleanse and pow’r to free.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! We will early turn to Thee.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! We will early turn to Thee.
Early let us seek Thy favor; Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior, with Thy love our bosoms fill.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast loved us; love us still.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast loved us; love us still.
Enjoy this arrangement by a dear friend of mine, David S. Gaines.