Oil in My Lamp
Encyclopedia
"Oil in My Lamp", also known as "Give Me Oil in My Lamp
" and "Sing Hosanna", is a traditional Christian hymn based on the Parable of the Ten Virgins
. The song has been recorded many times and was a hit in Jamaica in 1964 for Eric "Monty" Morris, as well as appearing on The Byrds
' 1969 album Ballad of Easy Rider.
The hymn features in 'Come and Praise', a popular school hymn book in the UK.
The hymn is in verse-chorus form
and begins as follows:
Verse:
Give me oil in my lamp,
Keep me burning,
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray.
Give me oil in my lamp,
Keep me burning,
Keep me burning
Till the break of day.
Chorus:
Sing hosanna
! sing hosanna!
Sing hosanna to the King of kings!
Sing hosanna! sing hosanna!
Sing hosanna to the King!
Subsequent verses replace 'oil in my lamp' with a different request, with the verb 'burning' replaced with an appropriate verb for the request. Thus the second verse runs: 'Give me joy in my heart, Keep me singing, Give me joy in my heart, I pray (etc.)', continuing with a third verse beginning 'Give me peace in my heart, Keep me resting' and so on.
Oil lamp
An oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and is continued to this day....
" and "Sing Hosanna", is a traditional Christian hymn based on the Parable of the Ten Virgins
Parable of the Ten Virgins
The Parable of the Ten Virgins, also known as the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, is one of the well known parables of Jesus. It appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament...
. The song has been recorded many times and was a hit in Jamaica in 1964 for Eric "Monty" Morris, as well as appearing on The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
' 1969 album Ballad of Easy Rider.
The hymn features in 'Come and Praise', a popular school hymn book in the UK.
The hymn is in verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form is a musical form common in popular music and predominant in rock since the 1960s. In contrast to AABA form, which is focused on the verse , in verse-chorus form the chorus is highlighted...
and begins as follows:
Verse:
Give me oil in my lamp,
Keep me burning,
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray.
Give me oil in my lamp,
Keep me burning,
Keep me burning
Till the break of day.
Chorus:
Sing hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna is a liturgical word in Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism, it is always used in its original Hebrew form, Hoshana.- Etymology :The word hosanna is etymologically derived from the Hebrew , ...
! sing hosanna!
Sing hosanna to the King of kings!
Sing hosanna! sing hosanna!
Sing hosanna to the King!
Subsequent verses replace 'oil in my lamp' with a different request, with the verb 'burning' replaced with an appropriate verb for the request. Thus the second verse runs: 'Give me joy in my heart, Keep me singing, Give me joy in my heart, I pray (etc.)', continuing with a third verse beginning 'Give me peace in my heart, Keep me resting' and so on.