Till The End Of Time

I bought the Maury Yeston songbook for a student who was doing an advanced level evaluation. The December Songs met the song cycle requirements. The other songs in the songbook came from his musicals and "Till The End Of Time" comes from a short-lived play called In The Beginning.

I played through the songbook searching for what songs would fit my student. Some songs, especially "Till The End Of Time" are emotionally mature. A young teenager not having experienced love beyond infatuation wouldn't be a suitable candidate to perform this song. Rhapsody or YouTube doesn't have this song. I don't know why a recording wouldn't exist. The song is worthy enough to be printed in a composer songbook.

Well, that was several years ago and I hadn't thought much about this songbook since - not until I decided a song I really wanted to sing for my concert was too hard and I sounded horrible. That challenging song deserves a solid year of study. So, I went to my loaded bookshelf and pulled out songs I've always wanted to sing that had worthwhile interest and a measure of impressive vocal line. (Okay, more than one measure.)

The words in this song are powerful.

And let our love forever be,
Eternal as the soul I freely give you.

One likes to assume that the person receiving this big a gift would be a good person. Then, when that person is revealed to the audience, and he's done some awful things, should the gift be rescinded? But why? Shouldn't even Cain be loved?

LYRICS

If I could bring myself to tell you...
Here's the words that I would tell you...

Till the end of time
I'll be yours. Will you be mine?
We're forever joined to the last.
All that's gone before has passed.
I ask you to accept my heart.
I ask you to forgive my imperfections...
Give me breath to speak,
words to somehow find a way to tell you I will love you
till the end of time.

Let my soul take flight.
All my yearnings, wake tonight.
Let tomorrow's dreams have their day!
For that much I hope and pray...
And let our love forever be eternal as the soul I freely give you.
Feel my trembling heart
nearly break in two
from merely knowing I will love you
till the end of time!

For the full concert program, click here.