The incredible story behind why West Brom fans sing The Lord’s My Shepherd

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If you’ve been to the Hawthorns, the chances are you’ve heard West Bromwich Albion sing the famous hymn, The Lord’s My Shepherd.

It’s a song sung up and down the country by the West Brom faithful when following their side.

Traditionally, fans are heard singing it after the Baggies score a goal, shortly after their other iconic chant of ‘Boing, Boing’.

For those visiting the Championship club, whether that be as an away fan or a groundhopper, it may seem odd to hear a hymn sung during football.

Here, EFL Analysis explains the origins behind the song.

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Why do West Brom fans sing Psalms 23?

There are a variety of different stories behind why the Baggies adopted the hymn as a fan song, but the most common one has to do with the day of a fixture West Brom played.

During the 1970s, it was extremely rare to play football games on any other day than a Saturday.

However, in 1974, West Brom were forced to play on a Sunday due to miners’ strike because mid-week matches under floodlights were banned to save energy.

It was controversial at the time but in response to the game being played on the Sunday, fans started singing the famous Psalm 23 verse.

An alternative tale claims that fans found a hymn book while travelling on a bus and began to sing the contents of it, eventually deeming The Lord’s My Shepherd as the most popular.

What are the lyrics to the West Brom chant The Lord’s My Shepherd?

The lyrics below are as followed:

The Lord’s my shepherd,
I’ll not want,
He makes me down to lie,
In pastures green,

He leadeth me,
The quiet waters by.

THE WEST BROM!
THE WEST BROM!