Come and Praise is a hymnal published by the BBC and widely used in collective worship in British schools. The hymnal was compiled by Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor with musical arrangements by Douglas Coombes, and includes well-known hymns such as âÂÂOil in My LampâÂÂ, âÂÂKum Ba Yahâ and âÂÂWater of Lifeâ as well as Christmas carols and Easter hymns.
Two volumes were published: Come and Praise in 1978, and Come and Praise 2 in 1988. The hymns from both volumes were published together in The Complete Come and Praise in 1990 alongside a words-only edition. Both volumes were published in connection with BBC School Radio in order to support teachers in leading group singing, particularly in schools without a dedicated music specialist or accompanist. Their use coincided with the continuing practice of collective worship in maintained schools in England and Wales, which was later reinforced in legislation including the Education Reform Act 1988.
The first volume of Come and Praise sold over two million copies and was described by the editor Geoffrey Marshall-Taylor as being "music for the people". Because of its extensive use in school assemblies from the late 1970s onwards, the collection became familiar to several generations of pupils in the United Kingdom.
Songs from Come and Praise have remained widely associated with school assemblies in the United Kingdom, and several have been retrospectively described in media commentary and online discussions with the phrase âÂÂassembly bangersâÂÂ. This informal expression refers to particularly memorable assembly songs and these were celebrated in a special episode of BBC Songs of Praise called The Big School Assembly Singalong. A revived interest was led in the early 2020s by British music teacher James B Partridge, who recorded a series of videos across social media platforms from 2021 charting his personal favourite âÂÂAssembly Bangersâ as part of his wider efforts to provide material for his pupils during the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to a viral performance of many Come and Praise hymns at Glastonbury Festival 2025.