An a cappella arrangement of one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite songwriters. In this song written on the day of his son’s birth, John McCutcheon paints a beautiful picture using an old hand pump as a metaphor for how our lives are shaped by the lives and stories of those who came before us. Each of the three verses has a different a cappella setting, inspired by the feeling of the lyrics.

There are scattered spots of divisi. In addition to the featured bass solo, there are brief solos for tenor 1, tenor 2, and baritone. It can be sung by an ensemble as small as eight; use your judgment to assign voicing on the last page.

A portion of the revenue goes to John McCutcheon.