LYRICS

God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me.
God answers prayers, God answers prayers, God answers prayers, He’s so good to me.

He cares for me, He cares for me, He cares for me, He’s so good to me.
I love Him so, I love Him so, I love Him so, He’s so good to me. 
I’ll do His will, I’ll do His will, I’ll do His will, He’s so good to me
I praise His name, I praise His name, I praise His name,  He’s so good to me.

Pass It On
(1969)

Hymn Background:

If you are a baby boomer, raised in the church, and born in the late 1940s or 1950s, you probably grew up singing this song composed by Kurt Kaiser around campfires or at youth group meetings.

Kurt Frederic Kaiser (1934 – 2018) was born in Chicago and received his musical education from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago Illinois and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Mr. Kaiser joined ‘Word, Inc.’ which was the largest religious publishing company in the United States at that time. He arranged and produced albums for many gifted artists such as Diane Bish, Tennesee Ernie Ford, Larnelle Harris, Jerome Hines, Burl Ives, Ken Medema, George Beverly Shea, and Ethel Waters. 

While known primarily for his youth musicals, Mr. Kaiser was an accomplished pianist and has written music for a variety of performing media in varied styles.  He composed more than 60 hymn texts and tunes, the most famous of which are  “O How He Loves You and Me” (1975), and “Pass It On.”  Mr. Kaiser earned many honors during his lifetime such as induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

From a letter written by the composer, he said: “In 1969, Ralph Carmichael and I collaborated on a musical, Tell It Like It Is.  It was written to get young people involved in the Church.  After reviewing what we had written, we decided there needed to be a closer, a modern  ‘Just As I Am’.  On a Sunday night I was sitting in our den by the fireplace where there were remnants of a fire, and it occurred to me that it only takes a spark to get a fire going. . . and the rest came very quickly.  My wife suggested that I should say something about shouting it from mountain tops, and that ended up in the third verse.  It only took about 20 minutes to write the lyrics.  Afterwards my wife and I went for a walk, letting the text ruminate in our minds.”

This song reflects the power of a simple idea set to a singable tune.  Such songs take on a life that the composer never considered.  Mr. Kaiser notes, “I am always amazed how the Lord can take a little song and use it to reach so many people.  It has been sung at countless weddings and funerals, at ordination services, by the Sea of Galilee, in Rhodesia, on the aircraft carrier Enterprise, and at lots of church camps.”     It seems that the musical Tell It Like It Is opened the door for the creation of more well-known sacred musicals. Two musicals with Christian themes opened on Broadway in 1971, Godspell by Stephen Schwartz, and the rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar.

Pass It On
(in honor of church camps starting)

LYRICS:

1. It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it; 
You spread God’s love to everyone, you want to pass it on

2. What a wondrous time is spring when all the trees are budding,
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming;
That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it;
You want to sing, it’s fresh like spring, you want to pass it on.

3. I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I’ve found.
On God you can depend, it matters not where you’re bound;
I’ll shout it from the mountain top, I want my world to know;
The Lord of love has come to me, I want to pass it on.

Faith, While Trees are Still in Blossom