Servant King

Album: Meekness and Majesty (1983)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The son of Baptist pastor, the Revd. M. D. Kendrick, Graham Kendrick trained as a teacher before embarking on a singing career in the early 1970s. A prolific writer of songs sung in British churches, this is one of his most popular tunes.
  • The song was written for the interdenominational British Christian gathering Spring Harvest, which takes place annually over the Easter school holiday period. Graham Kendrick told Christianity magazine: "'Servant King' was the title for Spring Harvest and it was sent out to several writers, including myself. I just found that funny phrase inspiring. We weren't being asked, 'Can you write a song with the words "Servant King" in it?' But it was those two words that set the juices flowing, because they were opposites."

    "If you are a lyricist, opposites always kickstart ideas; those two words don't normally sit together. So I just started to unpack that whole story. The obvious part of the story is the incarnation, 'From heav'n You came, helpless Babe…' And it's sort of unfolded from there."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

Hardy

HardySongwriter Interviews

The country hitmaker talks about his debut album, A Rock, and how a nursery rhyme inspired his hit single "One Beer."

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Francesca Battistelli

Francesca BattistelliSongwriter Interviews

The 2011 Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards isn't your typical gospel diva, and she thinks that's a good thing.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."