A Thanksgiving Shanty: Giving Thanks for Daily Bread

National – What do traditional sailors’ work songs have to do with Thanksgiving? For Pastor Kurt Reinhardt, they offer a creative way to reflect on God’s provision and bring the truths of the Christian faith to life through music.

Reinhardt’s Thanksgiving shanty, ‘Daily Bread’, was written at the request of his friend Michael Owens of Pennsylvania. Based on Martin Luther’s explanation of the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer—“Give us this day our daily bread”—the song invites listeners to reflect on the many gifts God provides each day.

The shanty is set to the tune of ‘The Blackball Line,’ a traditional capstan shanty. Sea shanties are work songs, historically sung by sailors to coordinate their efforts aboard ships. Their memorable melodies and rhythmic character have made them well suited to new interpretations, including songs that communicate the Christian faith.

Owens, a member of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and owner of Noteworthy Music, has undertaken Shanties Reborn, a project that invites poets to write sacred lyrics to traditional sea-shanty tunes. Reinhardt has contributed 14 shanties to the project to date.

The project offers a fresh way to share enduring Christian teachings through familiar musical forms. In ‘Daily Bread’, the familiar words of the Lord’s Prayer remind us that our daily necessities—from food and clothing to home, family, and the blessings of community—are gifts from God.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, the shanty offers a timely reminder that gratitude extends beyond a single day. We give thanks to God not only for the abundance we enjoy, but also for His faithful provision in the ordinary rhythms of daily life.

Owens has made his recordings available in the public domain, allowing others to access and share his musical work.

This Thanksgiving, ‘Daily Bread’ invites us to hear a familiar prayer in a new way and to remember the Giver behind every good gift.

Listen to Daily Bread here:

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