Lamentations 1

6. Lamentations 1

Written by Rachel Wilhelm; Piano composition by Tim Wilhelm

1. How lonely sits the city that once was full of people

How like a stricken widow she’s becomeHer splendor and beauty, unmatched among the nations

Her royal crown is twisted into chains

Chorus: She weeps, she weeps

2. Judah has wandered in exile and afflictionA sojourner in lands that aren’t her ownThey have overtaken her, hunted and abandoned

Trodden down like grapes pressed into wine

Chorus

3. She has seen the nations within her sanctuary

From on high the Lord has sent His fire
Mocking and jeering, the enemy has triumphed

“Look and see, O Lord!” she cries aloud

Chorus

Last fall (2016) I was in my office at my church and my son was down the hall in the choir room playing the piano. The piano hadn't been tuned for about 20 years. My son is petrified to play in front of anyone, although he is a very gifted player, so I was curious to hear what he was playing. He played this hauntingly heartbreaking lullaby of a song in 3/4. My heart about stopped. My goal in life was to write the saddest song in the world and my offspring had done it. At the end of the recording for Lamentations 1, his piano piece plays. It's called "Composition 05". I wanted to write a song for Lamentations 1 since I was in a Lamentations bible study, so I chorded out the piece Tim wrote and wrote a melody to lay on top of it. This is what came out.