Nominees for worst hymn

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Ghoti said:
I haven’t heard “Praise to the Lord” in quite a while, but the last time I heard it, it was the Catholic version – however, the penultimate line of the first verse was “to the **altar **draw near”.

According to what I find online, the original hymn “Lobe den Herren” was written by Joachim Neander, a Calvinist. So I doubt that the “protestant version” derived from the Catholic – more like the other way 'round.

Now, here is the text in German:

I ran it through Babelfish, unfortunately this is what I get:

Anyone here sprechen the Deutsch?
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I’ve never heard of Bablefish before, but I can see where it got it’s name.
 
daeve said:
I’ve never heard of Bablefish before, but I can see where it got it’s name.
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Babelfish is a translation site notorious for its mangling of translations. I’ve found that unless you’re fluent in both the language being translated & that of the translation you often can’t figure out what it the translation means.

CBC Radio for a couple of years ran a weekly contest for its listeners. It would get Babelfish to translate English song lyrics into another language then translate the translation back to English. The listeners had to figure out what the song was.
 
I’ve been practicing law for almost 15 years in area of South Texas with a large number of Spanish speakers. One thing I learned early on was the difference between a translator and an interpreter. The judges and the bailiffs (who 9 times out of 10 act as the courtroom interpreters) let rookie attorneys know the difference.

Babelfish is a translation program.

ICEL tried to interpret. It did a lousy job and would probably be fired if it worked in the legal system. Sadly, the Church is a more patient employer and took about 30 years to fire ICEL.

Going off topic. A funny story: when I first started practicing law, within a week of my licensure, my boss (a prominent criminal defense lawyer), assigned me a Spanish-speaking client who was to be arraigned for burglary. I met the client at the courthouse and started to explain to him the indictment against him. Although I knew the language, I really struggling to use my Spanish on a daily basis and I was very unsure in speaking it. I told the client: “La cajeta contra usted dice que estas acusado con robo.” My client look at me all puzzled. The District Attorney (not an ADA, but the actual DA) was standing in the hallway nearby waiting to empanel a grand jury, overheard me. He is an old friend of my fathers so he has known me since childhood. He calls me over and tells me: “You just told your client that a creamy goat’s milk candy has accused him of burglary. I word is queja not cajeta.”
 
PacoG said:
Which “Here I Am, Lord,” are you referring to? The one which begins “Here I am, Lord. I’ve come to do your will” or the one that starts "“I the Lord of sea and sky.” I find them both equally annoying.
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It may not be the very worst hymn ever written but it is one of the very most annoying (I the Lord of sea & sky, etc.) These folks are tone deaf when it comes to lyrics & poetry. And the “I” and “You” and “Me” are repeated throughout that hymn ad nauseum.😦
 
Cracker_Mom said:
It may not be the very worst hymn ever written but it is one of the very most annoying (I the Lord of sea & sky, etc.) These folks are tone deaf when it comes to lyrics & poetry. And the “I” and “You” and “Me” are repeated throughout that hymn ad nauseum.😦
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The other “Here I am, Lord” (Here I am, Lord. I’ve come to do your will"), is impossible for anyone to sing. It’s like the National Anthem, it starts in the high registers and goes higher.
 
Ghoti said:
This is from a hymn?
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I think we have a bit of satire going on there. 😛

What that song does have, is so much syncopation (and at weird, inappropriate places), that the whole song sounds like a round of hiccuping. Since there is nothing at all natural about the beat, the only people who can sing it properly are those who can read music – which leaves out a lot of the congregation. 😦

I sing in the choir, and I’m never happy to see that piece in my folder.

Another song I can live without, and unfortunately, I can’t remember the name, is the one whose first line of melody is identical (except for one note) to “I’ve Got Spurs That Jingle Jangle Jingle”. I really don’t need the “happy-go-lucky cowboy” association during Mass. 😃
 
Here’s one you can’t beat - how about the opening hymn being “I’M A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N”? I walked out last Sunday and had to attend a different Mass.
 
peary said:
Here’s one you can’t beat - how about the opening hymn being “I’M A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N”? I walked out last Sunday and had to attend a different Mass.
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:bigyikes: That sounds like something cheerleaders would sing at a football stadium!
 
peary said:
Here’s one you can’t beat - how about the opening hymn being “I’M A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N”? I walked out last Sunday and had to attend a different Mass.
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ARGH! Drat you, peary. Now it’s stuck in my head.😊

You have to win the prize for the worst entrance hymn.
 
Oh my. Such a thing to read on a bright Saturday morning. I give thanks that I have never heard many of these hymns. On the other hand how many of you have heard the full four-part version of Here I Am Lord? My choir normally doesn’t sing settings like this but we had to sing it for a diocesan event. Our choir director led us and then made the comment that it sounds like something the Muppets would sing. I cannot get the image of Kermit and Miss Piggy and all out of my head.

Or the time when we had to sing I Will Go Up for an ordination. I will go UP! to the altar of God. The temptation to bounce out of your chair was too great. This one can also be known as the Why-o, why-o hymn too.

On the other hand, I like the Hugo Distler setting of Praise to the Lord - it uses the protestant words. We have used it as a choral prelude for ordinations which segues into the Catholic version as the entrance hymn.
 
peary said:
Here’s one you can’t beat - how about the opening hymn being “I’M A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N”? I walked out last Sunday and had to attend a different Mass.
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You would walk out of Mass over a song? 🤷
 
pnewton said:
ARGH! Drat you, peary. Now it’s stuck in my head.😊

You have to win the prize for the worst entrance hymn.
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Oh well, every time brotherhrolf or someone else brings up “Sons of God”, I wind up singing it in my head for the rest of today.

like today…:o
 
Back to “Praise To The Lord”…

User THutch04 PMed me her translation of the German, and has graciously allowed me to post it here:
Hey, I saw that you posted this, and I figured I would try my best at a literal translation (although I’ll admit I put my own interpretation on it in some places because literally it did not work). I don’t attempt to refer to myself as a translator though, so this is just my interpretations of it. Hope this helps!
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~Tara
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Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren!
Meine geliebte Seele, das ist mein Begehren.
Kommet zu Hauf! Psalter und Harfe, wacht auf!
Lasset den Lobgesang hören!*
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Praise to the Lord, the powerful king of all honors!
O my beloved soul, that is my desire.
Come to the heap! Psalms and harps awaken!
Let the praises be sung!
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Lobe den Herren, der alles so herrlich regieret,
Der dich auf Flügeln des Adelers sicher geführet,
Der dich erhält, wie es dir selber gefällt.
Hast du nicht dieses verspüret?
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Praise to the Lord, all regard him so wonderfully.
He secures you under his wings and sustains you.
He receives you, as it is pleasing to you.
Have you not felt this?
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Lobe den Herren, der künstlich und fein dich bereitet,
Der dir Gesundheit verliehen, dich freundlich geleitet.
In wieviel Not hat dich der gnädige Gott
Über dir Flügel gebreitet.
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Praise to the Lord, who has finely made you through his art!
He has lent you good health, and led you to joy
In how much emergency has your benevolent God carried you with his wings.
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Lobe den Herren, der deinen Stand sichtbar gesegnet,
Der aus dem Himmel mit Strömen der Liebe geregnet.
Denke daran, was der Allmächtige kann,
Der dir mit Liebe begegnet.
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Praise to the Lord, whose conditions clearly defend you.
From Heaven storms of love rain down.
Think of it, what the all mighty can do,
To you whom He has met with love.
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Lobe den Herren; was in mir ist, lobe den Namen.
Alles was Odem hat, lobe mit Abrahams Samen.
Er ist dein Licht; Seele, vergiß es ja nicht;
Lob ihn und schließe mit Amen!
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Praise to the Lord, all that is in me praise his name.
All praise with Abraham’s seed.
He is your light, your sould must not forget!
Praise him and close with an Amen!
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*Herren (Der Herr) means either “Mr., gentleman, sir, or Lord.” People will refer to a person in high authority as “Mein Herr.”
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peary said:
Here’s one you can’t beat - how about the opening hymn being “I’M A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N”? I walked out last Sunday and had to attend a different Mass.
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I’ve heard of Baptist children singing that in their Sunday School. I never heard of that being sung in a Catholic church!
 
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