A little Tin Pan Alley . . .
Dominus Vobiscum: Notes from a massgoer's underground
. . . Warmup before a recent funeral mass which I attended included an organ-played rendition of “All the Things You Are” – lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II – from the loft. Only the music (by Jerome Kern) was played, however.
The words go this way and presumably would have been applicable to Jesus, though that would be a major surprise to both Hammerstein and Kern:
You are the promised kiss of springtime
That makes the lonely winter seem long.
You are the breathless hush of evening
That trembles on the brink of a lovely song.
You are the angel glow – that lights a star.
The dearest things I know – are what you are.
One day my happy arms will hold you
And someday I’ll know that moment divine
When all the things you are are mine.
Ain’t liturgy grand?
Blithe Spirit 