Come and Praise is a hymnal published by the BBC and widely used in collective worship in British schools. The hymnal was compiled by Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor with musical arrangements by Douglas Coombes, and includes well-known hymns such as “Oil in My Lamp”, “Kum Ba Yah” and “Water of Life” as well as Christmas carols and Easter hymns.
Volumes Two volumes were published: Come and Praise in 1978,Since reissued as Come and Praise 1, and Come and Praise 2 in 1988. The hymns from both volumes were published together in The Complete Come and Praise in 1990 alongside a words-only edition. Both volumes were published in connection with BBC School Radio in order to support teachers in leading group singing, particularly in schools without a dedicated music specialist or accompanist. Their use coincided with the continuing practice of collective worship in maintained schools in England and Wales, which was later reinforced in legislation including the Education Reform Act 1988.
Popularity and reception The first volume of Come and Praise sold over two million copies and was described by the editor Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor as being "music for the people". Because of its extensive use in school assemblies from the late 1970s onwards, the collection became familiar to several generations of pupils in the United Kingdom.
Cultural legacy Songs from Come and Praise have remained widely associated with school assemblies in the United Kingdom, and several have been retrospectively described in media commentary and online discussions with the phrase ‘assembly bangers’. This informal expression refers to particularly memorable assembly songs and these were celebrated in a special episode of BBC Songs of Praise called The Big School Assembly Singalong. A revived interest was led in the early 2020s by British music teacher James B Partridge, who recorded a series of videos across social media platforms from 2021 charting his personal favourite ‘Assembly Bangers’ as part of his wider efforts to provide material for his pupils during the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to a viral performance of many Come and Praise hymns at Glastonbury Festival 2025.
CDs CD 1
Morning has broken Water of life All things bright and beautiful Autumn days Somebody greater The earth is yours, O God Let us with a gladsome mind Who put the colours in the rainbow? Song of Caedmon All nations of the earth God knows me When God made the garden of creation Think of a world without any flowers He made me He's got the whole world Come my brothers, praise the Lord Come and praise the Lord our King Lord of the dance Go tell it on the mountain When Jesus walked in Galilee Jesus Christ is here A man for all people Judas and Mary From the darkness came light Join with us God has promised Thank you Lord Praise the Lord in everything God is love
CD 2
Praise Him Fill thou my life Travel on Give me oil in my lamp He who would valiant be The journey of life One more step Father, hear the prayer we offer We are climbing When a knight won his spurs Lord of all hopefulness Peace, perfect peace The King of love Colours of day The Lord's my shepherd Lost and found The best gift I listen and I listen The building song Spirit of God The wise may bring their learning When I needed a neighbour In Christ there is no east or west Black and White Kum ba yah The family of Man Cross over the road If I had a hammer A living song
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