‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’ is a song that the underclassmen sing to the seniors. This is a long-standing tradition that has been going on since the early 1980’s and will continue on for many years to come. The tradition was passed down to choir director Stephen Rew.
“At the end of the last large choir concert of the year, our seniors step off the risers, and the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors sing the song ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’ wishing them well on the journey that is to come,” said Rew.
Since this is a long-standing tradition, each person has a different take on what the song means to them. Rew has been carrying on this tradition and explains what it means to him as a director.
“I love directing it every year and seeing the faces of the underclassmen as they thank the seniors for pouring into their growth. We have built something really special and it is cool to see that celebrated. I have had a spot in my heart for this because I was once a singer on the risers and I was once a senior being sung to. Being the director now is just poetic,” said Rew.
When asked what the senior song was, many of the seniors had similar answers. It’s the song that allows the underclassmen to say goodbye to the graduating seniors. When asked what ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’ is, senior Destinee Shaffer gave a different take.
“‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’ is a little blessing that the underclassmen sing over the seniors. To me it’s a goodbye and the underclassmen saying that they hope we do well after high school,” Shaffer said.
‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’ can have different meanings depending on the person. Some seniors see it as a goodbye, while others see it as the underclassmen wishing them well. For senior Arianna Cooper, it is both a well-wishing and a goodbye.
“To me, it’s like the one final thing you do in choir before you go on to whatever you’re going to do in high school. It’s a special song that lets the seniors know that the underclassmen really care about them,” said Cooper.
Many of the seniors have sung this song before. When they were singing, they were saying their goodbyes to the graduating classes before them. Senior Ella Gawf explains what it’s like to be the one singing their goodbye.
“When I was singing it to the seniors I remember it being like a goodbye to my friends and me wishing them well. It just sends them positivity for whatever they choose to do after high school. Now I’m the senior the underclassmen are sending off,” Gawf said.
During the ‘Lord Bless You and Keep You’ many seniors spend their time reflecting on their high school career. For many seniors, this is their last choir concert ever. Four-year choir member Jaxon Inmon explains ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’ in a new light.
“When you get the song sung to you as a senior, the reality of your high school career coming to an end sets in. For some of us, it might be the last choir concert we perform in or it may be one of the last times we see many of the people around us. It is a time of reflection on the memories we have made in choir and high school, but it is also a moment of closure for the ending of this chapter of our lives,” said Inmon.
This song has sentimental meaning to many of the seniors. It serves as a reminder that no matter where they are going or what they are doing after high school they will always have a place with RPSings.