The Old Red Songbook
By Mark Morris
Recently, I came across a box of old red songbooks from my childhood church. As I opened the old red songbook, a flood of memories came rushing back.
It was amazing how I remembered the page number of a few of the songs we sang so long ago.
Page 333, “I’ll Fly Away”was a favorite of our song leader. In the days of the old red songbook, we had never heard of praise singers. But there was someone who had been chosen to be the song leader. It was up to the song leader to decide what songs we would sing.
Page 286, “The Gloryland Way” stated “I’m in the way the bright and shining way.” It seemed we always sang the chorus at least two times after the last verse.
Page 359, “I Surrender All” called us to the altar for a time of consecration and rededication.
Page 338, “Honey in the Rock” taught us the sweetness of having Jesus as our salvation. A line in the third verse asked the question do you pray and ask God what to do? Never fear he will surely answer.
Page 311, “My Redeemer” was a song that stirred our hearts as we sang of the love that Jesus had for us. Across the page on 310, “The Glad Reunion Day” assured us there was going to be a time in heaven called a happy meeting.
I never realized how many songs we sang about going to heaven, such as “Meet Me There”, “ I Won’t Have to Cross Jordan Alone”, “If We Never Meet Again”, “Inside the Gate”, “ In the Sweet Forever”, and “It Won’t Be Long”, and many, many of these songs gave us hope. This made us long for the joy of heaven.
On the 4th of July, we would open this songbook to page 51 and sing the old song “America”.
In the back of the old red book was a topical index. It listed all the songs by topic. Every topic was covered from baptism, to Christmas and even invitation songs as well as funeral songs.
This was the songbook of my youth. I enjoy our music today, but sometimes when I’m alone, I enjoy opening the old red songbook and going back to the days of a song leader and wooden pews. I still enjoy page 52, “Jesus Hold My Hand “.
How about you? Do you have some memories you could share with us about the old red songbook?