Jerusalem – And did those feet in ancient time

“And did those feet in ancient time” is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton: a Poem (1804). Today it is best known as the hymn “Jerusalem”, with music written by C. Hubert H. Parry in 1916. This was arranged by request for a wedding in 1992. The first time I ever heard the song Jerusalem, when it entered into my consciousness was in the Monty Python skit (I believe it’s called the “Buying a Bed” sketch) in which a typically loony Python character, Mr. Lambert, puts a bucket over his head every time someone says “mattress.” Thus does everyone who works with him (in the bed department of a store) endeavor never to say the word, and they encourage prospective customers to say “dog kennels” when asking Lambert about mattresses. If a mistake is made, the only thing that will prompt him to remove his pail is to get into the fish tank and then sing the song Jerusalem – “And did those feet, in ancient times…” Funny, all those years later I would arrange the work as a serious addition to a wedding service. Go figure?