Choral Festival Texts & translations
August 17, 2025
I. I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes (Psalm 121)
I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh, surely cometh from the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:
He that keepeth thee will not slumber nor sleep.
The sun will not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from evil: the Lord shall preserve thy soul!
II. How Long? (Psalm 13)
How long, O Lord? How long?
How long, O Lord, will Thou forget me?
How long will Thou hide Thy face from me?
How long must I suffer anguish in my soul and grief in my heart?
Look now and answer me, O Lord.
Give light, O Lord, give light to my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.
I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help.
III. The Lord Is My Shepherd, Alleluia (Psalm 23)
Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me,
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,
Alleluia, alleluia.
I will lift up mine eyes to the hills.
Alleluia, alleluia!
We Shall Walk Through the Valley
Text Traditional
Lord, we shall walk through the valley in peace,
If Jesus himself shall be our leader,
We shall walk through the valley in peace.
There will be no trials there,
If Jesus himself shall be our leader,
We shall walk through the valley in peace.
Bernstein: Mass
Text Traditional
Additional texts by Stephen Schwartz and Leonard Bernstein
1. Hymn and Psalm: “A Simple Song”
Celebrant
Sing God a simple song:
Lauda, Laude...
Make it up as you go along:
Lauda, Laude...
Sing like you like to sing.
God loves all simple things,
For God is the simplest of all.
I will sing the Lord a new song
To praise Him, to bless Him, to bless the Lord.
I will sing His praises while I live
All of my days.
Blessed is the man who loves the Lord,
Blessed is the man who praises Him.
Lauda, Lauda, Laude,
And walks in His ways.
I will lift up mine eyes
To the hills from whence comes my help.
I will lift up my voice to the Lord,
Singing Lauda, Laude.
For the Lord is my shade,
Is the shade upon my right hand,
And the sun shall not smite me by day
Nor the moon by night.
Blessed is the man who loves the Lord,
Lauda, Lauda, Laude,
And walks in His ways.
Lauda, Lauda, Laude,
Lauda, Lauda di da di day...
All of my days.
2. Prayer for the Congregation (Chorale: “Almighty Father”)
Choir
Almighty Father, incline thine ear:
Bless us and all those who have gathered here.
Thine angel send us,
Who shall defend us all.
And fill with grace
All who dwell in this place.
Amen.
3. Trope: “I Don’t Know”
Celebrant
I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the Holy apostles, Peter and Paul...
Lord, I could go confess
Good and loud, nice and slow,
Get this load off my chest.
Yes, but why, Lord,
I don’t know.
What I say I don’t feel,
What I feel I don’t show.
What I show isn’t real,
What is real, Lord,
I don’t know.
No, no, no...
I don’t know.
I don’t know why ev’ry time I find
a new love I wind
up destroying it.
I don’t know why I’m so crazy-mind-
ed I keep on kind
of enjoying it.
Why I drift off to sleep
with pledges of deep
resolve again,
then along comes the day
and suddenly they
dissolve again.
What I say I don’t feel,
What I feel I don’t show.
What I show isn’t real,
What is real, Lord,
I don’t know.
No, no, no...
I don’t know.
4. Gloria tibi
Celebrant and Treble Choir
| Gloria tibi,
gloria tibi, gloria! Gloria Patri, gloria Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Laudamus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, benedicimus te! Gloria Patri, gloria Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Gloria! | Glory to you,
glory to you, glory! Glory to the Father, glory to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. We praise you, we adore you, we glorify you, we bless you! Glory to the Father, glory to the Son, And to the Holy Spirit. Glory! |
5. Gloria in excelsis
Chorus
| Gloria in excelsis Deo,
et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis. Laudamus te. Benedicimus te. Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex cœlestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus. Tu solus Altissimus. Tu solus Dominus. cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. | Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise you. We bless you. We adore you. We glorify you. We give thanks to you for your great glory. Lord God, King of Heaven, God, the Father Almighty. The only-begotten Son, Lord Jesus Christ, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. You who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. You who take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are holy. You alone are most high. You alone are the Lord, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen. |
6. Trope: “Half of the People”
Chorus
Amen!
Half of the people are stoned
and the other half are waiting for the next election.
Half the people are drowned
and the other half are swimming in the wrong direction.
They call it glorious living,
and, baby, where does that leave you,
you and your kind?
| (...miserere nobis; suscipe deprecationem nostram.) | Have mercy on us; |
...you and your youth and your mind?
Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere.
7. Trope: “I Believe in God”
Celebrant
I believe in God,
but does God believe in me?
I’ll believe in any god
if any god there be.
That’s a pact.
Shake on that.
No taking back.
I believe in one God,
but then I believe in three.
I’ll believe in twenty gods
if they’ll believe in me.
That’s a pact.
Shake on that.
No taking back.
Who created my life?
Made me come to be?
Who accepts this awful
responsibility?
Is there someone out there?
If there is, then who?
Are you list’ning to this song
I’m singing just for you?
I believe my singing.
Do you believe it too?
I believe each note I sing
but is it getting through?
I believe in F sharp.
I believe in G.
But does it mean a thing to you
or should I change my key?
How do you like A-flat?
Do you believe in C?
Chorus
| Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub... | He was crucified for us under... |
Celebrant
Do you believe in anything
That has to do with me?
Chorus
I believe in one God,
but then I believe in three.
I’ll believe in thirty gods
if they’ll believe in me.
That’s a pact.
Shake on that.
No taking back.
Celebrant
I’ll believe in sugar and spice,
I’ll believe in ev’rything nice.
I’ll believe in you and you and you,
And who, who’ll believe in me?
Let us pray. Let us pray!
8. The Lord’s Prayer
Celebrant
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
9. Sanctus
Chorus
| Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai ts’vaot,
M’lo chol haaretz k’vodo. | Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Hosts, All the earth is full of his glory. |
Singing holy, holy, holy Lord God of Hosts.
All the heavens and earth are full of His glory,
| Baruch ha’ba
B’shem Adonai! Sanctus! | Blessed is he who comes
In the name of the Lord! Holy! |
10. Agnus Dei
Chorus
| Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem. | Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace. |
Celebrant
Hic est enim Calix Sanguinis Mei!
Hostiam puram!
Hostiam sanctam...
Hostiam immaculatam..
Let us pray!
11. Pax: Communion (“Secret Songs”)
Soprano, Celebrant & Chorus
Sing God a secret song:
Lauda, Laude …
Lauda, Lauda, Laude.
Soprano, Celebrant & Chorus
Lauda, Lauda, Laudate.
Laude, Deum,
Laudate Eum.
Pax tecum.
Almighty Father, incline thine ear:
Bless us and all those who have gathered
here.
Thine angel send us,
who shall defend us all;
and fill with grace
all who dwell in this place.
Amen.