DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING

This falls somewhere between regal and rustic— something that would be at home in a cathedral or a Sacred Harp sing. It is an unusual hymn tune: the melody slides from an E minor/pentatonic into a G minor/pentatonic scale in the second phrase. The harmonies, too, sneak off halfway through, sprint in all directions, then slip back home in the last two measures. But for all its darting about, the song is still surprisingly singable— both the melody and the inner voices.

It first appeared in print with Isaac Watts’ “Your Glory, Lord, Is Great” (#41 In Melody and Songs“).

This is an orphan tune, waiting to be adopted by a text to call its own. If you write your own lyrics for this melody or pair it with an existing text, please let me know how you’ve used it.