Music in
The Man Who Would Be King

The music in The Man Who Would Be King was composed by Maurice Jarre.  He was an extremely well known film composer of the 1960s and 1970s (and continued working until the early 2000s).  His work includes the scores for both Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.

For The Man Who Would Be King Jarre used a combination of very western music and elements provided by Indian musicians.

The main theme of the movie is taken from a traditional Irish aire called The Moreen.   The musician and Irish nationalist Thomas Moore (1779-1825) set his hymn The Minstrel Boy  to it in the early 1800s (probably in memory of friends who died in the Irish rebellions of the late 18th century).  Jarre recasts it with words from Reginald Heber's 1812 hymn The Son of God Goes Forth To War.   Here are the words:

The Son of God goes forth to war,
A kingly crown to gain;
His blood red banner streams afar:
Who follows in His train?
Who best can drink his cup of woe,
Triumphant over pain,
Who patient bears his cross below,
He follows in His train.

That martyr first, whose eagle eye
Could pierce beyond the grave;
Who saw his Master in the sky,
And called on Him to save.
Like Him, with pardon on His tongue,
In midst of mortal pain,
He prayed for them that did the wrong:
Who follows in His train?

A glorious band, the chosen few
On whom the Spirit came;
Twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
And mocked the cross and flame.
They met the tyrant’s brandished steel,
The lion’s gory mane;
They bowed their heads the death to feel:
Who follows in their train?

A noble army, men and boys,
The matron and the maid,
Around the Savior’s throne rejoice,
In robes of light arrayed.
They climbed the steep ascent of Heav’n,
Through peril, toil and pain;
O God, to us may grace be given,
To follow in their train.