February 7, 2021 (Sunday)
The song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” is from a 1945 Broadway musical, “Carousel,” later made into a movie (1956). In the musical, the song is sung to a young wife who has just lost her husband. The words give her the encouragement to face life alone, realizing she is not really alone because of the hope in her heart. At the end of the story, the spirit of her husband returns to his daughter’s graduation and somehow lets her know he is with her as she faces a life on her own after graduation. “Not really alone” is the message.
The moral of the musical reminds me immediately of Isaiah 41:10,
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(I seem to hear an echo: “You’ll never walk alone.”)
The lyrics could well be a hymn of encouragement and hope because of the faith of the believer and the power of the Almighty. Anyway, when I hear it, I hear it with those thoughts running through my mind and warming my heart.
YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE
*Words: Oscar Hammerstein II
Music: Richard Rodgers
1945
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
*When Rodgers worked with Hart, he wrote the music first, and then Hart wrote the lyrics. But in this new team, Hammerstein wrote the words first and Rodgers created the music to fit.
The song is sung at association football (soccer) clubs around the world, where it is performed by a massed chorus of supporters on match day; this tradition developed at Liverpool F.C. after the chart success of the 1963 single of the song by the local Liverpool group Gerry and the Pacemakers. In some areas of the UK and Europe, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” became the anthem of support for medical staff, first responders, and those in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.