Let Virtue Garnish All My Thoughts Unceasingly
…let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God…
D&C 121:45.
About the Song
This song was written as a resource to support the 2007 LDS Mutual (youth program) theme. I feel that I deserve several pats on the back for this one. Garnish? Unceasingly? Wonderful, descriptive words, but a serious challenge to work into a lyric.
This particular scriptural verse is one of my favorites, dubious singability notwithstanding. For years the word “Garnish” conjured up mental images of parsley. (One year our grade school decided to infuse some culture into the student body by decorating our lunch trays with parsley. I don’t know how much culture was infused, but we certainly didn’t eat it.)
One day it occurred to me that there must be something more to “garnishing” one’s thoughts than just decorating them. Perhaps there were some nuances to the word that were more common 200 years ago than today? So I did some research on the origins of the word. Here are a few of the interesting tidbits I gleaned:
“Garnish” comes to us from an Old French root meaning “to defend, to prepare, to furnish or equip.” It is also related to the word “warn.” From the same root, we get our word “garment.” In the 13th Century, the word found its way into English, with the meaning “to defend oneself” or “to arm oneself”–as well as the first hints of the parsley usage. As the decorative connotations emerged, the word was used to mean the decoration of anything… persons, homes, etc., but its usage later became narrower until it reached the point it’s at today–specifically a decoration for the plate.
There’s more, but since not everyone is as crazy for words as I am, I’ll spare you. At any rate, the word is well chosen. Virtue in its broadest sense can defend our thoughts, can prepare our minds, can be a weapon against the evils we may encounter. It will also make our hearts and minds more beautiful and acceptable to the Lord.
Sheet Music Downloads
Spotify, Soundcloud (inc. free downloads)
Click the 
to download the free track for personal use.
Recording featuring vocals by Allyse Smith Taylor:
Accompaniment track:
Apple Music, Amazon
These files may be copied/shared in any quantity in any physical format unless otherwise noted. They may not be re-sold or offered for download.
Apple Music: Let Virtue Garnish All My Thoughts Unceasingly (feat. Allyse Smith Taylor)
Apple Music: Let Virtue Garnish All My Thoughts Unceasingly (Accompaniment Track)
Amazon: Let Virtue Garnish All My Thoughts Unceasingly (feat. Allyse Smith Taylor)
Amazon: Let Virtue Garnish All My Thoughts Unceasingly (Accompaniment Track)
YouTube
(Video provided to YouTube by outside parties may contain ads that may be skipped after a few seconds.)
Lyrics
Everywhere I go; in all I do and say
Standing close beside me, there to guide me day by day
Is One who knows my heart, all my silent fears
One who hears unspoken prayers, who shares my joy and tears
Chorus:
And in His presence I am strong
As I make His word my law
As I learn to live by every truth He teaches me
And my confidence grows sure
As I keep my spirit pure
And let virtue garnish all my thoughts unceasingly
Every test I face, I will overcome
As the Lord upholds me and enfolds me in His love
For He knows my needs; He will walk with me
Comfort and protect me, and direct me patiently
(Repeat chorus)
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8 Comments
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Very inspiring and powerful message.
Praise and glory to God for your undaunted work. It’s a tremendous blessings for us to sing with piano accompaniment.
Dear Sally,
Thank you so much for publishing your music’s. It’s easy for me to play on piano and easy to teach in choir for conference. Really appreciate it. May our dearly loving Heavenly Father bless you. Once again thank you.😘😍
Sharing you music is such a gift. I live out of the country and we don’t have ready access to any sort of Church Bookstore or Distribution Center. Thank you for publishing your music.
Hi Sally. I just want to thank you for sharing all your wonderful compositions, it has helped me a lot for church. May God continually bless you!
Thanks for the wonderful music. It gives me an inspiration.
Sally Deford, Thank you so much for your generosity of sharing the music.. May GOD continue to bless you as you are a blessing to others!
Thank you for publishing your music and allowing us to use it. It is beautiful. Our young women are going to sing this song at the Young Women in Excellence program this year. Our theme is Young Women of Virtue. It’s perfect for this special night.