Psalm 96 does not say sing the old song louder. It says, “O sing unto the LORD a new song.” That command has never been withdrawn, and it was not given only to Israel, or only to the English-speaking church. It was given to every people, in every language — and that includes ours.

A translated song is a borrowed coat

For a long time the Urdu-speaking church has sung translations. There is no shame in that; a translated hymn has carried many believers through grief and joy. But a translation is a borrowed coat. It was cut for another body. The rhythm belongs to another language, the images belong to another country, and something is always a little loose at the shoulders.

When a song is written in Urdu from the beginning, the words fall where the language wants them to fall. The melody follows the way our people actually speak. Nobody has to work to understand it. They simply sing.

Every song begins with a verse

Each song on this site starts with Scripture, not with a tune. Tasali came out of Isaiah 40 — “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.” Dil Khol came out of Revelation 3:20, Christ standing at the door and knocking. The Word comes first; the melody is only the vessel that carries it into the memory.

That is why a song outlasts a sermon. A believer may not remember what was preached three Sundays ago, but they will remember a chorus they sang as a child, and the verse inside it, for the rest of their life. A song is Scripture that travels.

Free, and meant to be taken

Every song here is free to watch, free to sing, and free for any church to use in worship. No licence, no fee, no permission needed. If a small congregation in a village learns one of these songs and sings it on Sunday, that is exactly what it was written for.

Gospel singers are welcome too. If you would like to record one of these songs, write to us — the songs are given, with full credit and no cost.

What comes next

New songs are being written continually — for Christmas and for Easter, from the Zaboor, for the Lord’s table, and for children in Sunday school. You can watch what has been released so far, and this page is where we will write about the songs as they come.

“O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.” — Psalm 96:1