This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Boxford
Staff Notation • Sacred
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
SATB · Barry Johnston
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Boxford by Timothy Swan — Lyrics
1. Alas, my aching heart!
Here the keen torment lies;
It racks my waking hours with smart,
And frights my slumbering eyes.
2. Guilt will be hid no more;
My griefs take vent apace;
The crimes that blot my conscience o'er
Flush crimson in my face.
3. My sorrows, like a flood,
Impatient of restraint,
Into Thy bosom, O my God,
Pour out a long complaint.
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About Boxford
Timothy Swan's Boxford is a sacred anthem for SATB choir, sung in English. The text expresses profound personal repentance and a plea for divine mercy. The lyrics detail the composer's agonizing remorse over past sins, describing his heart as wracked by torment and his conscience stained by guilt. He laments his former defiance of God and his resistance to grace, comparing himself to unfeeling brass. The anthem builds to a heartfelt outpouring of sorrow, a confession poured out to God in a desperate search for absolution and solace.
