Please critique. Fresh ink.


When I Count My Blessings

When I count my blessings,
I name them one by one.
I find I’ve slipped off to sleep
Long before they’re done.
I’ve always cause for thankfulness,
Come cloudy skies, or blue.
When I count my blessings,
I count you.

When I count my blessings,
I find there’s always more.
They gather ‘round my table,
They crowd in through the door.
Riches wrap each moment
With more than is my due.
When I count my blessings,
I count you.

Spring time brings bright blossoms,
Summer—cool, green shade.
Autumn dons her golden gown,
When harvest has been laid.
Winter shivers holly,
And snowflakes pure and white.
Any season I’m with you
Is lovely in my sight.

When I count my blessings,
I name them one by one.
I find I’ve slipped off to sleep
Long before they’re done.
I’ve always cause for thankfulness,
Come cloudy skies, or blue.
When I count my blessings,
I count you.
When I count my blessings,
I count you
When I count my many blessings,
I count you.

c2005 Skip Johnson

Note: I wrote this for my wife, Judi. I just finished setting it to music during some slow office hours over at the church this afternoon. Kind of an easy jazz feel to it with quite a few diminished 7ths, major 7ths, 9th, minor 9ths, minor 7ths, ect. (26 different chords total, which is quite a few for so short a piece.)

Bing Crosby had a somewhat similar hook/title in a song he recorded back in 1954 for the White Christmas production, which was nominated for an academy award. When Judi pointed that out to me, I looked up the lyrics, and will post them below for comparison's sake. Maybe I can find the Irving Berlin music, and see how he set it, too.


I Count My Blessings

When I'm worried and I can't sleep,
I count my blessings instead of sheep--
And I fall asleep counting my blessings.

When my bankroll is getting small,
I think of when I had none at all--
And I fall asleep counting my blessings.

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads,
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds.

If you're worried and you can't sleep,
Just count your blessings instead of sheep--
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads,
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds.

If you're worried and you can't sleep,
Just count your blessings instead of sheep--
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.

Looks like Crosby's lyric is an AABABA format. Mine is AABAtag. End line rhymes differ too. Still, there are some similarities in themes. I think my "I count you" has a bit more punch in the payoff. Overall, "When I Count My Blessings" is a bit more complex of a lyric. Which, of course, doesn't make it any better necessarily.



[This message has been edited by Skip Johnson (edited 12-27-2005).]