The first is San Fran… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists that go by Chanticleer.
The first is San Francisco-based ensemble known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for the seamless blend of its twelve male voices ranging from countertenor to bass and its original interpretations of vocal literature, from Renaissance to jazz, and from gospel to venturesome new music. Called “the world's reigning male chorus,” by The New Yorker, and named 2008 Ensemble of the Year by Musical America, Chanticleer will perform more than 100 concerts in 2013-14, the Grammy Award-winning ensemble’s 36th Season. Praised by The San Francisco Chronicle for their “tonal luxuriance and crisply etched clarity,” Chanticleer will tour to 21 of the United States and 12 foreign countries this season, including appearances at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, New York's St. Ignatius Loyola, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Vienna's Musikverein, and Prague's Rudolfinum In 2009, Chanticleer made debut appearances in Ireland and the People's Republic of China and will return to the latter in June for Expo 2010 in Shanghai.
The second is Salt Lake City indie folk artist Andrew Shaw, who also heads a band, The Adonis.
Wondrous Love
Chanticleer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O my soul! O my soul!
What wondrous love is this!
O my soul!
What wondrous love is this!
That caused the Lord of bliss!
To send this precious peace
To my soul, to my soul!
To my soul!
When I was sinking down
Sinking down, sinking down
When I was sinking down
Sinking down
When I was sinking down
Beneath God's righteous frown
Christ laid aside his crown
For my soul, for my soul!
Christ laid aside his crown
For my soul!
Ye winged seraphs fly
Bear the news, bear the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly
Bear the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly
Like comets through the sky
Fill vast eternity!
With the news, with the news!
Fill vast eternity
With the news!
Ye friends of Zion's king
Join his praise, join his praise
Ye friends of Zion's king
Join his praise
Ye friends of Zion's king
With hearts and voices sing
And strike each tuneful string
In his praise, in his praise!
And strike each tuneful string
In his praise!
To God and to the Lamb
I will sing, I will sing
To God and to the Lamb
I will sing
To God and to the Lamb
who is the great I am
while millions join the theme
I will sing, I will sing!
while millions join the theme
I will sing!
And while from death I'm free
I'll sing on, I'll sing on
And while from death I'm free
I'll sing on
and while from death I'm free
I'll sing and joyful be
and through eternity
I'll sing on, I'll sing on
and through eternity
I'll sing on
The lyrics of Chanticleer's song Wondrous Love express the wonder and awe of the singer at the love of God, which was great enough to send Jesus Christ to earth to lay down his life for the souls of humankind. The song speaks to the transformative power of divine love, which can create peace within a person's soul even in the darkest of moments. The first stanza refers to this wondrous love and the precious peace it brings to the soul. The second stanza speaks to the singer's personal experience of sinking down beneath God's righteous frown, only to have Christ sacrificially lay aside his crown for the singer's soul.
The third stanza of the song calls upon the winged seraphs, who are celestial beings in Hebrew mythology, to bear news of this wondrous love like comets through the sky, filling vast eternity. The fourth stanza calls upon the friends of Zion's king to join in praising him, striking each tuneful string in his honor. Finally, the fifth stanza expresses the singer's commitment to singing the praises of God and the Lamb, and doing so joyfully throughout eternity.
Line by Line Meaning
What wondrous love is this
O my soul! O my soul!
What wondrous love is this!
O my soul!
Oh my soul, what amazing love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to send this precious peace to my soul!
That caused the Lord of bliss!
To send this precious peace
To my soul, to my soul!
To send this precious peace
To my soul!
The Lord of bliss sent this precious peace to my soul when I was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown, and Christ laid aside his crown for my soul!
When I was sinking down
Sinking down, sinking down
When I was sinking down
Sinking down
When I was sinking down
Beneath God's righteous frown
Christ laid aside his crown
For my soul, for my soul!
Christ laid aside his crown
For my soul!
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul when I was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown, and now ye winged seraphs fly like comets through the sky to fill vast eternity with the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly
Bear the news, bear the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly
Bear the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly
Like comets through the sky
Fill vast eternity!
With the news, with the news!
Fill vast eternity
With the news!
Ye friends of Zion's king, join his praise with hearts and voices sing and strike each tuneful string in his praise, while I will sing to God and to the Lamb who is the great I am, and while from death I'm free, I'll sing on and through eternity!
Ye friends of Zion's king
Join his praise, join his praise
Ye friends of Zion's king
Join his praise
Ye friends of Zion's king
With hearts and voices sing
And strike each tuneful string
In his praise, in his praise!
And strike each tuneful string
In his praise!
While millions join the theme, I will sing to God and to the Lamb who is the great I am, and while from death I'm free, I'll sing and joyful be, and through eternity I'll sing on!
To God and to the Lamb
I will sing, I will sing
To God and to the Lamb
I will sing
To God and to the Lamb
who is the great I am
while millions join the theme
I will sing, I will sing!
while millions join the theme
I will sing!
I will sing to God and to the Lamb who is the great I am, while millions join the theme and through eternity I'll sing on!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TRADITIONAL (PD), JOHN D (DAVID) PURIFOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Miriam Boland
They truly have the Best Diction of all choirs, I am convinced. To hear how Wondrous Love (Hymn 159) sounds as written, run a search for one of the Sacred Harp groups doing it, get the early American sound...
janice kenefick
I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual arrangement to an old familiar hymn.
Jennifer Griffithe
Love it.
scott miller
Beautiful!
Michael Igoe
Very interesting arrangement of the second verse.
Judi Harbin
Christmas is the day that holds time together
Nealix D.
Nice choral version
The Panic Station
Sacred harp is the only music that is completely killed by perfect diction
Ken Schumacher
I love this song. I love the group. I bought the album, so I can listen to this whenever I want to, legally. I don't understand why people post audio tracks up on YouTube with video of an album cover. YouTube is for videos. Even worse, I don't understand how you can admit that this is a copyright protected work and then "post so that we may all enjoy their amazing music". That's clearly a violation of their copyright. This is why congress is trying to pass garbage legislation like SOPA.
J rc
Ken Schumacher I would never had heard of this group or there arrangement of this hymn without the poster and the YouTube algorithm.