So I think I've mentioned here before having a long-term project to write and record my own "psalmody."  This is something loosely inspired by Psalm 17 - I'm not trying to do a musical setting of Biblical text on these, just to find some idea in each psalm that would make a good song and then build on that based on the rest of the psalm.

Lyric for this was originally written in 1998, musical setting & recording may have been done around 2010, and the new verses in 2017.  So I've been working on this one for a while!

The attached demo just uses the chorus and the first verse, but at some point (last year, I guess) I drafted up a couple more verses, included here:

Why do I pray?  Because I know you will answer me,  Lord my God
In my darkest day  I know you will answer me, Lord my God

Hide me in your shadow  In the shadow of your wings
And I will trust you  I will trust you in all things  (chorus)

(additional verses written for Psongs project, 12/2017)

When I call upon You  I believe that You will hear
In the presence of mine enemies  I wait for You to appear.

Save me from the wicked  Protect me from the evil one
And I shall waken in your presence  When these nightmare days are done.

I'm probably just posting this to motivate myself to get back to work on it, but any comments would be welcome... if nothing else, I imagine I'll work on smoothing out those last two verses, making them say what they intend to say more clearly, more singably.  One of those extra verses could be turned into a bridge, but they're written to the meter and beat count of the original verse part.  Observations based on looking at the original Psalm are cool, though, as noted, I'm not trying to do a musical setting of the original text, I'm trying to write a good song based on something the psalm has to say (not necessarily even the central idea of the original text).

Thanks!

Charles