So in the midst of my work in the archives of Bexley Hall a
dinner card fell out with a dinner card that included the words for the Bexley
Hall Call, or school song. I have no idea what tune it would originally been
sung to (its metre is 11 11 11 5) but a friend and I went to the organ and
played around with several possible settings and found that K. Lee Scott’s Shades
Mountain fit rather perfectly. I find the
whole thing rather endearing, if not exceptionally grande, and suggest we start
singing it on a regular basis at all official events.
The Bexley Hall Call
O World, thy burning bush beside Kokosing,[1]
Through flames of life thine urgent Voice disclosing,
Calleth afar o’er woodland, hill, and hollow
We follow, follow
O Sky, thy birds fly north, fly south incessant,
Obeying signals of thy changing crescent,
All Doves of God, though winged like the swallow,
We follow, follow.
O Dawn, thy music sounds along the valley;
No living thing, on hearing it may dally;
O sweeter far than harp-strings of Apollo
We follow, follow.
O Voice of Love, beside the Jordan river!
It drew the fisherfolk, it draws us ever.[2]
It calls, it calls, o’er woodland, hill, and hollow
We follow, follow.
Author: Unknown
Tune: Shades Mountain
