Sailors Prayer

[Larry3525]

I am the Commodore of my yacht club this year and am doing a Memorial Day Service as is our custom. What I would like to ask the forum members is if they have any favorite short sailors prayers that would be fitting a small yacht club. I am kind of looking for something to class up a short dedication opening our summer season. Thanks in advance for any and all input.

 

[Larry3525]

I am the Commodore of my yacht club this year and am doing a Memorial Day Service as is our custom. What I would like to ask the forum members is if they have any favorite short sailors prayers that would be fitting a small yacht club. I am kind of looking for something to class up a short dedication opening our summer season. Thanks in advance for any and all input.

 

[David10790]

Give this a try

You don't hear a lot of Judy Collins anymore, but she was pretty big in the '60s and '70s. You could do a lot worse than some of this:Song For MarionWords and Music by Judy CollinsUniversal Music Corp. (ASCAP)/ Rocky Mountain National Park Music, Inc. (ASCAP)(Administered by Universal Music Corp.)Dear lord be good to me, the sea is so wideDear lord be good to me, my boat is so smallOh God who lives beyond the place of thunder and rainbowsGod who blows the western wind and calms the raging wavesGod who shakes the mountains and pours fire on the seaGod who blows the howling wind, take care of meShow you heart and show your faceDo not let me fall from graceDear lord be good to me, the sea is so wideDear lord be good to me, my boat is so smallI may not have the clothes of silk, or money of silverI may not have a home made out of marble or clayI know I have no armor to protect me from the stormOh God whose power burns the sun, please keep me warmShow you heart and show your faceDo not let me fall from graceLet me see the radiance of sun upon dark cloudsLet me see the silver dancing starsLet me see the moon as she dances in your skyLet me see your face amid the crowdsAs the sun can rise at dawn up from the cloudy seaAs the day can break form darkest nightLet me find the rainbows end that follow the thunderThrough my tears against the wind teach me to begin againShow you heart and show your faceDo not let me fall from graceDear lord be good to me, the sea is so wideDear lord be good to me, my boat is so smallWilflower RecordsWWW.JUDYCOLLINS.COM212-749-7221

 

[David10790]

Give this a try

You don't hear a lot of Judy Collins anymore, but she was pretty big in the '60s and '70s. You could do a lot worse than some of this:Song For MarionWords and Music by Judy CollinsUniversal Music Corp. (ASCAP)/ Rocky Mountain National Park Music, Inc. (ASCAP)(Administered by Universal Music Corp.)Dear lord be good to me, the sea is so wideDear lord be good to me, my boat is so smallOh God who lives beyond the place of thunder and rainbowsGod who blows the western wind and calms the raging wavesGod who shakes the mountains and pours fire on the seaGod who blows the howling wind, take care of meShow you heart and show your faceDo not let me fall from graceDear lord be good to me, the sea is so wideDear lord be good to me, my boat is so smallI may not have the clothes of silk, or money of silverI may not have a home made out of marble or clayI know I have no armor to protect me from the stormOh God whose power burns the sun, please keep me warmShow you heart and show your faceDo not let me fall from graceLet me see the radiance of sun upon dark cloudsLet me see the silver dancing starsLet me see the moon as she dances in your skyLet me see your face amid the crowdsAs the sun can rise at dawn up from the cloudy seaAs the day can break form darkest nightLet me find the rainbows end that follow the thunderThrough my tears against the wind teach me to begin againShow you heart and show your faceDo not let me fall from graceDear lord be good to me, the sea is so wideDear lord be good to me, my boat is so smallWilflower RecordsWWW.JUDYCOLLINS.COM212-749-7221

 

[GuyT]

Dear Lord,Bless these men of the sea for they are so humble.Please keep them safe when they begin to roll and tumble.Forgive them Father if they falter to show you respect,For they know not of the wrath which you can beset.Forgive us Oh Lord for thou are so mighty,Be gentle Oh Lord in our boats we keep so tidy.Be kind to the sea on a beautiful day,And keep us and our crew out of harms way.When the weather turns rough and we begin to head home,Protect us oh Lord from the rogue waves that loam.May the wake on our bow and our beam reach of splendor,Remind us Oh Lord that your love is so tender.We ask your blessing on the seas which we roam,Please return us safe to our Families at home.Blessed Oh Lord in this we pray,AMEN

 

[Paul Akers]

Here is one!

The was a prayer selected by my S-I-Law that was read at her husband's memorial service a few years ago.The Song of a ShipShips are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made,For somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the song of a soul is laid;A soul that sings with the ship along through plunging hills of blue,And fills her canvas cups of white with winds that drive her through.For how could a nail and a piece of wood, tied with a canvas thread,Become a nymph of moon-washed paths if the soul of the ship were fled?Her bosom throbs as her lover’s arms clasp her in fond embrace,And the joyous kiss of briny lips is fresh on her maiden face.No storm can smother the hempen song that wells in her laughing throat --Small wonder that then men go mad for the love of the sea and a boat.For the singing sheet is a siren sweet that tugs at the hearts of men,And down to the sea they must go once more though they never come back again.

 

[tweitz]

Navy Hymn

There are always the words to the Navy hymn:The Navy HymnLyrics by Reverend William Whiting and Music by Reverend John B. Dyke Eternal Father, strong to save,Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep,Its own appointed limits keep.Oh hear us when we cry to Thee,For those in peril on the sea! Amen.Eternal Father, lend Thy grace Tothose with wings who fly thro' space,Thro wind and storm, thro' sun and rain,Oh bring them safely home again.Oh Father, hear an humble prayer,For those in peril in the air! Amen.Oh Trinity of love and pow'r,Our brethren shield in danger's hour,From rock and tempest, fire and foe,Protect them where so e'er they go.Thus evermore shall rise to TheeGlad hymns of praise from land and sea! Amen.

 

[DC1417]

Not exactly a prayer

But this is kind of inspirational;I find the greater thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it - but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.Oliver Wendell Holmes : American poet, essayist and physicianOliver Wendell Holmes (1809 - 1894)Source: The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. Holmes also fought in the Civil War and was on the US Supreme Court.

 

[gpd955]

Not really short...or a prayer either

but it is a beautiful song. I play it on the bagpipes and use it at funerals, especially if it is for someone who is a Navy vet or loves the sea.Sailor’s PrayerWritten by Rod McDonald1) Though my sails be torn and tatteredAnd the mast be turned aboutLet the night wind chill me to my very soul.And though the spray might sting my eyesAnd the stars no light provideGive me just another morning light to hold.Chorus:For I will not lie me downThis rain a ragingNo, I will not lie me downIn such a stormAnd if this night be unblessedI shall not take my restUntil I reach another shore.2) And though the only water leftIs but salt to wound my thirstI will drink the rain that falls so steady down.And though night-blindness be my giftAnd there be thieves upon my driftI will thank the fog that shelters me along.Chorus3) Though my mates be drained and wearyAnd believe their hopes are lostThere’s no need for their bones on that blackened bottom.And though death waits just off the bowWe will not answer to him nowHe shall stand to face the morning light without us.ChorusJack Mannings/v Victim of FateAtlantic City, NJ

 

[tweitz]

Slight correction

DC, you are correct about the author of that poem and his dates, and he was the "Autocrat of the Breakfast Table," but the one who was fought in the Civil War and was on the US Supreme Court was his son, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.