4 days after our twin sons were born (July 7 1975), by Caesarean at 38 weeks (& still they were 6 lb 7 oz & 7 lb), I went to see Dorothy in hospital after the day’s work. She was crying, & had easily got all the new mothers in the ward crying too. The prospect of mothering these 2 new boys, along with our almost 2 year old daughter was daunting! I of course did what any caring, considerate husband would do — I wrote a song! Never one of Dorothy’s favourites, it’s been widely used and loved. And perhaps it’s the only song of mine that I remember exactly where I was when the idea of it came into my head. After leaving the Queen Victoria Hospital (no longer functioning), driving back to my brother’s place, a rainy night, at the corner of Greenhill & Fullarton Roads, ‘Comfort comfort’ happened. Of course, it wasn’t ‘all’ there, but the essential details were.
Comfort, comfort all my people
with the comfort of my word.
Speak it tender to my people:
"All your sins are taken away."1. Though your tears be rivers running,
though your tears be an ocean full,
though you cry with the hurt of living, comfort, comfort!
Every valley shall be lifted ….
Years later, I was asked if I could write 2 verses for the Christmas Bowl Appeal in 1988. I did, & recently I used one of these verses quite a few times when I was singing with people in Victoria & New South Wales.
1. Though we build strong walls for prisons,
though we feast while others starve,
though we fill this world with weapons, comfort, comfort!
Every prisoner will be rescued,
every hungry mouth be filled,
every gun will rust, forgotten, comfort, comfort!
2. Though we fracture God's creation,
though we stand so far apart,
though we fail to love each other, comfort, comfort!
Every wall will crack and crumble,
every stranger will be friend,
every one embrace another, comfort, comfort!
A good song to use during Advent, especially when the text it’s based on (Isaiah 40) is one of the readings.
