Horrible hymns and cruddy choruses

I see what your saying . . . however . . . your wrong.

No I am just kidding. But my favorite song is one of the most repitivive hymns I know of.

What wonderous love is this, oh my soul, oh my soul.
What wonderous love is this, oh my soul.
What wonderous love is this, that caused the lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse, for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse, for my soul.

the same repititions in lines is copied through all the rest of this marvalous song.

 

You know the Bible repeats things a few times that are important...

Bryan
SDG

 

I almost hate to post this, but years ago, there was a chorus that was quite forgettable, about the events that led to the birth of Jesus. Among the phrases were:

[Profanity deleted.]

I think you can figure out why it didn't catch on

[ September 11, 2003, 11:06 PM: Message edited by: Aaron ]

 

Oh where to start I'll think about it and get back to you tomorrow

Though I think this discussion continually rages in one form or another down in Music Ministry

Pete

 

My pick for some of the most Horrible

1. Throw Out the Lifeline
"Throw out the life line
Throw out the life line
Someone is drifting away
Throw out the life line
Throw out the life line
Someone is sinking today

Throw out the life line
Across the dark water
There is a brother that someone could save
Somebody's brother needs help today...."

Poor theology on evangelism that one could write a thesis on that has man saving sinners.


2. Battle Hymn of the Republic - A song about the Union Army invading the South.

 

"As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free..."

Did not Christ speak of no greater love?

I love that song (and thanks to the Feds, freedom is a reality for all americans).

 

I went through a period in my youth when I believed all singing in church should be done in dead languages. That way you wouldn't notice how lame the songtexts were.

Trust me, there are LOT of extremely lame hymns in the Dutch churchmusic reportoire, especially in the Evangelical/Charismatic/baptist corner.

 

My personal non-favorite gospel song:

"I've got a Mansion"

In which my non-favorite line is, "...I want a gold one that's silver-lined.."


No materialism in heaven?

Tim

 

Your premise is incorrect. The average Union soldier was not laying down his life for slaves. Lincoln was seeking to preserve the Union not go on a crusade of liberation. That is a romantic view of the war penned by Julia Ward Howe that is propaganda. The song has nothing to do with Christianity since Mrs. Howe herself was not a Christian but a Unitarian. In her biography she stated “Not until the Civil War did I officially join the Unitarian church and accept the fact the Christ was merely a great teacher with no higher claim to preeminence in wisdom, goodness, and power than any other man.”

Nope, the song has no place in worship in that it is a song about War from a unbeliever. A good article on the hymn is at The Anti-Christian Battle Hymn

 

Matt Black sends me to the dictionary with this question:

are there any hymns or choruses that you really hate, either because they have naff lyrics, are twee or asinine, or have moronic repetitive tunes?

Who was the idiot who added that moronic chorus to Isaac Watt's great hymn, "Alas, and Did My Saviour Bleed?" The one that goes:

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away
It was there by faith I received my sight
And now I am happy all the day

Pollyanic claptrap, it maketh me to puke.

 

Ransom,

Dr. Watts never wrote the refrain that is commonly sung with Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed? It and the music to At the Cross were written by Ralph Hudson... i.e. #139 in the 1991 Baptist Hymnal.

 

Yes, I know. That was my point - that Hudson (thanks) took a beautiful and powerful hymn, and tacked a trite gospel chorus onto it.

 

Incidentally, on a similar topic, there is a lengthy thread from a year and a half ago here about so-called "God is my boyfriend" songs, many of which produce the same stomach-wrenching effects as "At the Cross," only more so.

 

Not a particularly bad hymn, but Come, Though Fount of Every Blessing is so outdated. I'm ranked in the top 3% of college freshmen; I have no idea what Ebenezer is referring to, and I had to look fetter up in the dictionary. Tarry and sonnet are also rarely used today, and of course there's the Thy's and Thou's. Maybe if someone would update the lyrics it would be worth singing again.


On the other hand, the third verse sounds very much like something John Cooper would write(just with archaic words).

Many hymns are annoyingly repeptitive, which wouldn't be so bad if they weren't so boring and emotionless, like Standing On the Promises. Might be worth singing if someone would put it to decent music.

As for choruses, I like the song Above All, except for the signature line. "He took the fall, and he though of me, above all." Not theologically accurate enough for me. I've heard someone say they changed that phrase slightly to make it better, but I can't remember what they changed it to. It really is annoying though to be singing a song and then not be able to sing one key phrase because I don't agree with the lyrics.

A chorus I really don't like is "Better is One Day." It takes repetitive to the extreme. Too bad because the verses are actually pretty good.

 

Jonathan,

Maybe once you understand "Come Thou Fount" you'll be able to sing it with more liking and more conviction. It's one of my favorites, and my worship band leads it effectively in our blended worship services.

Check out 1 Samuel Chapter 7. Read it through, and the Ebenezer reference is found in verse 12. This is what I take the second verse of "Come Thou Fount" to mean.

I've only made it this far by God's grace.
Yet, like the Israelites of old, I need a reminder.
So I'll set this memorial stone (or this reminder) here, because God has led me here, and if He continues to guide me, I know I'll arrive safely at home with Him.
Even while I wandered, Jesus sought me,
And to keep the danger from me, He sacrificed Himself.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer -

O to grace, how great a debtor!

 

JonathanDT said:

Not a particularly bad hymn, but Come, Though Fount of Every Blessing is so outdated.

Actually, "Come Thou Fount" is quite popular with the student/twentysomething crowd. You'd be surprised.

Our hymnal has a modified version of the second verse that replaces "Here I raise mine Ebenezer" with something along the lines of "thy love has blessed me" - I forget the precise wording. One local worship band has replaced the line with "Here I raise to Thee an altar," both clarifying the meaning and preserving it.

"Ebenezer" doesn't make "Come Thou Fount" outdated; it's a literary allusion (to 1 Sam. 7:12). Biblical illiteracy, not the march of time, is to blame.

The only person I've had ask what a "fetter" was, was someone whose first language wasn't English.

This, of course, is just my experience, and yours may vary.

Tarry and sonnet are also rarely used today,

I would hope that anyone who studied literature in high school would know what a "sonnet" is. We had that particular form drilled into us practically from the beginning.