Carry Me Home
22:00 duration|Composed in 2024|Difficulty: Easy
It was a great honour to be asked by Sir Nick and Lady Young to compose Carry Me Home in memory of their son Alex, who passed away in 2014. Like Alex, I was born in Ipswich, attended St Margaret’s Primary School, and sang in the choir at Ipswich Minster – I knew him as Tigger.
Carry Me Home is a truly unique choral work, as I worked closely with Nick and Heli on both text and music until they felt it was right. I have yet to find another example in classical choral music where this level of family involvement shaped the composition from start to finish.
Conversations with Alex’s family and friends revealed a remarkable young man: a gifted sportsman, musician, and intellectual, whose energy, humour, and kindness touched many lives. The saxophone represents Alex, or more broadly, the human spirit, and the music as a whole speaks to the universal themes of loss, growth, hope, and freedom.
I hope Carry Me Home brings some comfort to Alex’s family and friends, and to anyone who has known the sudden loss of a loved one.
Text
I. Loss
There are no words that do justice to the sense of pain and loss I have felt these last weeks, knowing I will not be able to see my oldest and dearest friend again.
Sean Doyle’s (Al’s best friend) eulogy to Al (2014)
I don’t think we will ever understand what has happened here, but if we can go on living our lives even half as well as you lived yours, we will all be very happy. Can we ever all be happy?
Edward Young’s (Al’s older brother) eulogy to Al (2014)
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ٢٥٥
Translation:
God: there is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Ever-Watchful. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him. Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth; it does not weary Him to preserve them both. He is the Most High, the Greatest.
The Quran, 2:255
II. Grow
Get better now, get stronger now, now grow.
Bit better now, keeping looking out, now grow.
And the rains came down and I’m stronger now,
And I’ll keep going till the rains have filled the seas.
And the rains came down and you’re all around,
And I won’t see you growing but I know that you’ll see me.
And I’d like to have known you just a little bit longer.
[Repeat]
I keep breathing, I keep moving on,
We all grow together, I won’t do you wrong,
You’re here with me, I still need you,
Whatever the weather, just help me grow.
Tom Young (Al’s younger brother), Growing (2014)
Songwriter: Tom Young
III. Hope
1. Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy, whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy: Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray, your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
2. Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith, whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe: Be there at our labours, and give us, we pray, your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.
3. Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace, your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace: Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray, your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
4. Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm, whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm: Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray, your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.
Jan Struther, Lord of All Hopefulness (1931)
Tune: Slane (Irish Traditional)
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.
Wallace Willis, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (circa 1865)
IV. Free
I inhale great draughts of space,
The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine.
From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master total and absolute,
Listening to others, considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating…
I am larger, better than I thought,
I did not know I held so much goodness.
All seems beautiful to me.
Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road (1856)
