This tune comes from the same group that gave us our Advent song, “Awake My Soul”. The band’s called Mumford and Sons and they’re not necessarily known as a “Christian band” or as writers of worship songs. We were introduced to them by a couple members of Sanctuary who have been listening to the band for a while now. And now we’re singing their tunes in worship.

Theirs are songs we sing at the top of our lungs and know by heart. These are the songs our band wants to play over and over again in rehearsal. They’re awesome songs and to us, they speak of truth in a way we understand and can relate to. Check out these lyrics to “Sigh No More”: Sigh no more, no more / one foot in sea, one on shore / my heart was never pure / you know me.

We’ve enjoyed this song in a variety of arrangements. We generally start it off pretty quietly with one voice and a guitar softly picking the melody. When our membership allows, it’s great to have a piano help thicken the sound. We’ve also added a little harmonica at times, which has a really neat effect in this tune. Since the melody is so simple, this tune is a great one for which to teach some harmonies, especially during the “sigh no more” bit.

We used this song for several weeks as accompaniment to our confession and forgiveness liturgy. We started out by singing the “sigh” part a few times and then read the confession together and then sang the “love” part a few times, building in volume and intensity each time. Because we were using the song in this way, we felt free to really make the song our own. Most of the band doesn’t even like the original Mumford and Sons version much anymore. Check out a live version of Mumford and Sons singing “Sigh No More” in the video to the left and enjoy!