We’ve been singing a great song in my Labor Heritage Chorus, called “May the Work that I Have Done.” The lyrics that we use go something like this:
May the work that I have done speak for me,
May the work that I have done speak for me,
If I fall short of my goal, someone else will take a hold,
May the work that I have done speak for me.
It’s easy to make up more verses: May the marches I’ve been on speak for me; May the songs that I have sung; etc.
But where did this song come from? Mudcat.org, the indispensable folk music Web site, has a short thread on this song, tracing it back to a 1969 recording by the gospel duo The Consolers; the songwriting credit goes to Sullivan Pugh, one half of that duo. New lyrics (basically what I’ve included above) are attributed to San Franciscan John Fromer.
Now I’d love to be able to share this song with Sunday school volunteers here at church. But the easiest way to share such a song in a Unitarian Universalist church is with sheet music. Unfortunately, the tune we’ve been singing in the Labor Heritage Chorus is somewhat similar to the Consoler’s recorded version, but it has been run through the folk process long enough that it now sounds significantly different — the only sheet music I’ve been able to find uses the Consoler’s version of the tune and words. This probably means I’ll have to transcribe yet another song. Nobody ever told me in seminary that I’d feel the need to transcribe songs as part of being a minister.
Sounds promising. Would you be willing to share it?
VB @ 1 — If I manage to transcribe it (i.e., if I manage to find the time to sit down with recording of Pat Wynne singing the version I know, and transcribe melody and chord progression), I’ll post something on this blog. The song and lyrics are copyright-protected, so I would not be willing to post my transcription online, but if you wanted a copy of my transcription for your own personal use, you could contact me once I post that I’ve completed it.