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kamaan
Guest
I must be very fortunate; I have never heard this song, in Latin or English.
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DWC_RC
Guest
I envy you. What ever happened to Marian hymns?
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malphono
Guest
That “hymn” brings back some vivid and unpleasant memories from the late 1960s-early 1970s (aka the “bad old days”). The tune, as well as the English text, is just so typical of that period. That style was not my taste then and is not my taste now. If I never hear it (or its siblings) again, it will be too soon.
Be that as it may, I recall from those days someone I knew who versed another “hymn” from the time (it may have been the dreaded “Here We Are” or the equally dreaded “Sons of God” but I’m not sure, and in any case it doesn’t make much difference) into Latin as a joke. There he was astrummin and ahummin, and as much as it was horrid and a dismal flop from a liturgical standpoint, it was a rollicking success from the comedy standpoint. (We were all doubled over laughing, and even he had a hard time keeping a straight face.) So was this. Some things don’t change.
Be that as it may, I recall from those days someone I knew who versed another “hymn” from the time (it may have been the dreaded “Here We Are” or the equally dreaded “Sons of God” but I’m not sure, and in any case it doesn’t make much difference) into Latin as a joke. There he was astrummin and ahummin, and as much as it was horrid and a dismal flop from a liturgical standpoint, it was a rollicking success from the comedy standpoint. (We were all doubled over laughing, and even he had a hard time keeping a straight face.) So was this. Some things don’t change.
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kamaan
Guest
They are “too boring” and “not Christian” enough to be used in my parish.
I don’t know those either! Now, should I look them up, or spare myself the horror?
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MarkThompson
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I’ve never heard “Sons of God” (Sons! so politically incorrect!), but “Here We Are” was written for a fourth-grade CCD class, so I think people can let up a bit with the faux disdain.
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coolduude
Guest
Looking at the lyrics here I’m having trouble seeing why so many people dislike the song (except for the tune, of course).
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malphono
Guest
While (IMO) there’s no doubt about the “horror” part, go ahead and do a look-up. Hearing them 40-some years after their debut isn’t quite the same, but it’ll give you an idea of why I made the association. To this day I shudder when I think about those songs :winter:.
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challam2010
Guest
After reading this thread last night, I made it a point to read each word of the lyrics to this song this morning before Mass.
If you object to these lyrics, I’d love to know exactly which points you find objectionable. I can’t see anything that is non-theological or unscriptural – in fact, I’ve always found this hymn to be VERY touching and perfect to set the tone for a truly communal Eucharistic celebration.
If you object to the music, that’s certainly your prerogative – but can you enlighten me if it’s the lyrics you dislike?
If you object to these lyrics, I’d love to know exactly which points you find objectionable. I can’t see anything that is non-theological or unscriptural – in fact, I’ve always found this hymn to be VERY touching and perfect to set the tone for a truly communal Eucharistic celebration.
If you object to the music, that’s certainly your prerogative – but can you enlighten me if it’s the lyrics you dislike?
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challam2010
Guest
There are two threads about this song on this forum – I posted this on the other thread a bit earlier.
After reading this thread last night, I made it a point to read each word of the lyrics to this song this morning before Mass.
If you object to these lyrics, I’d love to know exactly which points you find objectionable. I can’t see anything that is non-theological or unscriptural – in fact, I’ve always found this hymn to be VERY touching and perfect to set the tone for a truly communal Eucharistic celebration.
If you object to the music, that’s certainly your prerogative – but can you enlighten me if it’s the lyrics you dislike?
After reading this thread last night, I made it a point to read each word of the lyrics to this song this morning before Mass.
If you object to these lyrics, I’d love to know exactly which points you find objectionable. I can’t see anything that is non-theological or unscriptural – in fact, I’ve always found this hymn to be VERY touching and perfect to set the tone for a truly communal Eucharistic celebration.
If you object to the music, that’s certainly your prerogative – but can you enlighten me if it’s the lyrics you dislike?
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ProVobis
Guest
Actually the tune wasn’t that bad when Gordon Lightfoot used it.Looking at the lyrics here I’m having trouble seeing why so many people dislike the song (except for the tune, of course).
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puzzleannie
Guest
quick what pop or kiddie song does the tune of Sons of God remind me of? it is bugging me and I can’t get it out of my head.
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kamaan
Guest
I would tell you, but I can’t find the audio, just the lyrics
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malphono
Guest
I am cringing as I type, but try this link: tasbeha.org/mp3/Songs/English/Shepherd_of_My_Soul.html ) The target song is toward the bottom of the playlist.I would tell you, but I can’t find the audio, just the lyrics
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ProVobis
Guest
As the judges used to say on American Bandstand, “It’s easy to dance to.”
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Acolythus_sum
Guest
The entire song is badly off key in many, many ways…
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patrick457
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What’s next? An Aramaic version of Ashes? On Eagles’ Wings performed in Byzantine Chant? Here I am, Lord as the Introit?
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patrick457
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Same as I. I didn’t know that many of these songs even existed. That is, until I became a member of this forum…
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patrick457
Guest
You forgot the last verses:
Not in the dark of buildings confining,
not in some heaven, light years away,
but here in this place, the new light is shining;
now is the Kingdom, now is the day.
Gather us in - and hold us forever,
gather us in - and make us your own.
Gather us in - all peoples together,
fire of love in our flesh and our bone.
Which kinda confuses me about the penultimate verse. You have “the dark of buildings confining” juxtaposed with “here in this place”. Is the song actually envisioning the Mass being said outdoors or something?
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patrick457
Guest
What I don’t like about it is that the whole song’s too ambiguous. Sure, you can read it in a Christian (read: Catholic) light, but the whole avoidance of anything overt (what’s up with the phobia against putting any overt Catholic stuff in there?
) and the overemphasis on ‘us’, the faithful (seriously, I’ve seen quite a lot of second-person plural pronouns there to last me a lifetime ), makes this song a bit too, shall we say, ‘lacking’ for me. And what’s up with “light-years”? And just because the lyrics are Biblical or quote from the Bible doesn’t automatically make a song beautiful or okay for Mass. In fact, I personally think that this song reflects some of the problems inherent in paraphrasing and referencing Biblical texts in a rather free way - paraphrasing often involves personal interpretation.
Haugen once wrote about the song (from the notes for the recording Gather Us In from Marty Haugen: An Anthology, Vol. 1):
“Gather Us In” was influenced by the Hjuibers-Oosterhuis song, “What Is This Place?” I wanted to write a text that reflected the same incarnational images in a guitar-based hymn. It was also an early attempt to avoid gender-specific language for God by shifting the focus from a discussion about God to an address of God. More than any other song of mine, Gather Us In has generated strong reactions regarding text. I have wrestled for some time with images in the second verse of “the blind and the lame,” searching for metaphors that are less offensive, while grounded in biblical tradition.
Finally, I would appreciate the song more, were it not for the fact that it’s SO overused in many areas, or at least based from what I can observe. With this being repeated ad nauseum (and yes, frankly, the opening tune was quite nauseating - just like riding a carousel), it’s no wonder that many people are growing tired of it - and probably start to hate it with a burning passion equivalent to a rampaging legion of stereotypical Catholic school nuns.
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