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SleepyGuy
Guest
Today at the end of mass we sang “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” which was written by Martin Luther.
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MEP
Guest
I think we have a winner.
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BlestOne
Guest
Hey OutinChgoburbs,
OMGoodness…I laughed sooo hard…hey aren’t you a grandma? You aren’t supposed to know about this stuff…hehehehe just kiddin!!!
I knew there was a reason I liked you…not many could make such a witty yet intelligent comment like that! And…Anyone who likes LINUX is definitely more than OK with me…Long live the penguin!
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NetNuncio
Guest
You want a winner?
How about the 80’s childrens’ Mass Communion “hymn” involved the lyrics:
“Yummy Yummy Yummy I got Jesus in my tummy”.
:banghead:
Adam
How about the 80’s childrens’ Mass Communion “hymn” involved the lyrics:
“Yummy Yummy Yummy I got Jesus in my tummy”.
:banghead:
Adam
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frdave20
Guest
Sing a New Church – I much prefer the current one now. Why do we need a ‘new’ church?
Let Us Build a House – a bit too tepid and lovey-dovey for me
Here I am Lord – are we to sing as if we are in the place of God (referring to the verses)
Amazing Grace
Let Us Build a House – a bit too tepid and lovey-dovey for me
Here I am Lord – are we to sing as if we are in the place of God (referring to the verses)
Amazing Grace
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mercygate
Guest
What’s that song? “Come dance in the forest, come play in the fields . . .” gag. I’ll bet even St. Francis chokes on that, and he wrote it.
We also sang something with a line like, “Bread that is broken, wine that is poured, love is the sign of the Lord.” Talk about confusing theology.
I have to note though that even drively hymns, like “Here I Am, Lord,” which is based on I Sam 3 and may not be just fuzzy-feel-good stuff and may not deserve the outright opprobrium they receive.
We also sang something with a line like, “Bread that is broken, wine that is poured, love is the sign of the Lord.” Talk about confusing theology.
I have to note though that even drively hymns, like “Here I Am, Lord,” which is based on I Sam 3 and may not be just fuzzy-feel-good stuff and may not deserve the outright opprobrium they receive.
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CarolAnnSFO
Guest
I find that sometimes, the lyrics may be fine, and the theology of a song sound, but the music is just too cutesy, sappy or sing-songy. Singing those songs carries a very high barf factor, even when the lyrics are reasonable.
Crazy Internet Junkies Society
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
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NetNuncio
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mercygate
Guest
This observation applies to some of the “traditional” hymns as well – especially those based on Scottish or U.S. Southern folk melodies. “Sing of Mary” is one of those: Dink-dinky-dink-dinky-dink-dink-dink-dink.
Another gag trigger for me is Irish parlor music (which I enjoy as parlor music when I’m a couple of Guinness’ to the good) like, “Mother of Christ” and “Lady of Knock” – without the words, you couldn’t tell the difference between that music and “Mother Machree” or “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen.”
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CarolAnnSFO
Guest
I once read a booklet about music ministries in the Catholic Church. The tone of the booklet was slanted more towards the traditional music. It commented that in the 1960s and 1970s, anyone who could strum a few chords on a guitar thought of himself (or herself) as a composer. That’s what I think of when I hear some of the songs in church. I have no doubt I could cobble together a melody and some words from the Psalms to go along with it, but that doesn’t mean Catholic parishioners all over the country should be forced to sing it! 
And I must say I am profoundly grateful that the Catholic Church frowns on the song “We’ve Only Just Begun” being sung at Nuptial Masses. The Church does frown on that song, doesn’t it? Oh, please tell me it does. :bigyikes:
Crazy Internet Junkies Society
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
And I must say I am profoundly grateful that the Catholic Church frowns on the song “We’ve Only Just Begun” being sung at Nuptial Masses. The Church does frown on that song, doesn’t it? Oh, please tell me it does. :bigyikes:
Crazy Internet Junkies Society
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
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pnewton
Guest
I have heard the arguement against singing the words of God and have never understood it, specifically, the difference between singing words from God’s point, and speaking them. I also do not understand why the Psalms do it, along with a lot of the OT, but when the same words are put to music it is different.
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mercygate
Guest
Me, too. I have a lot of gripes about contemporary Church music, but this ain’t one of 'em. We read the words of God in Scripture; why not sing the words of God in Scripture? I think this argument is just cranky for cranky’s sake. And I am a certified crank myself, so I should know!
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axolotl
Guest
Anima Christi:
grotto:
I first heard that song two weeks ago on vacation. I was thankful I hadn’t been subjected to that PC drivel at home, which is surprising since I’m from Cleveland. When I saw this thread, that was the song that popped into my head. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the melody, as the cantor was horribly off key. I will not name the church, or town, so as not to humiliate anyone, but this was in Rockland County, New York.
Credit for that goes to the Quakers. I, too, am not I big fan…
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SleepyGuy
Guest
I forgot to mention the song is also known as the battle hymn of the reformation.
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WynCatholic
Guest
What I find so trmendously triumphant and ironic is the Catholic Church singing “A Mighty Fortress” it perked up my formerly anti-catholic ears. … To think that the Church could set aside the past iintention of the words, and redeem the hymn is great. And isn’t that what Jesus does? Isn’t that what the Church did to redeem cultures and communicate the truths of the gospel to different cultures and societies and language groups?
So why can’t the church do that regarding hymns and music and activities/programs?
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pnewton
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Good point. The church has used even heathen practices to communicate the faith. Besides, hte thread is about the worst lyrics, not history or author.
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WynCatholic
Guest
The contributions to this thread that denigrated “A Mighty Fortress” were on the basis of nitpicks of style, history, author.
In my humble opinion, the main issue is one of regecting the protestant pedigree - and a despair over the competance and integrity of those leading the church … and perhaps even doubting the Lord who promised to protect it.
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twiztedseraph
Guest
Well my priest’s so far have been nice and orthodox. But once they played that beatles song “turn” or whatever its called.
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Petergee
Guest
Where I come from it’s not called “Song of the People of God” it’s called “Song of the Body of Christ”. And yes, we ARE called to “be Eucharist” because we, the Church, ARE “the Body of Christ”. That is an important part of the meaning of the Eucharist.
“Amazing Grace” – sorry for those who’ve grown up attached to it, but the tune puts me off. And it’s not suitable for community singing, although everyone seems to think they can sing it. And it does contain theologically questionable lyrics ( I am already “saved”, we “will” be in Heaven etc.) – the sin of presumption. By the way although it was composed by an ex-slave trader, he didn’t have a Damascus type conversion, he just gradually grew more religious with age. AG wasn’t a spur of the moment hymn, it was one of a huge number of hymns he churned out over several years.
“Gather us in” is OK except for the line “not in some Heaven, light-years away”. OK it’s theologically (and astronomically) wrong, but you can appreciate the point it’s trying to make. “Give us the courage to enter the song” to me means “Give us the courage to openly join in the Church and openly live and proclaim our Faith”. What’s wrong with that?
“Lord of the Dance” is a great song, but again perhaps not suitable for community singing at Mass.
The worst I ever heard was at a children’s Xmas eve Mass in the 80s when they played a tape of “Joy to the World” - no, not the traditional hymn, the hit song by Three Dog Night containing the verse
“You know I love the ladies
I love to have my fun
I’m a high life flyer and a rainbow rider
A straight shootin’ son-of-a-gun”.
I assumed it must have been an accident by whoever arranged the music, intending it to be the hymn, but the next year they did the same thing!.
And no, Nan S, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence” (while not suitable for Mass) isn’t “heresy and anti-God”, it’s (admittedly subtly) pro-God. The lyrics about “the neon god they made” are a satirical comment about our society’s search for a replacement in consumerism for the God it has rejected.
As for JC Superstar (again definitely not suitable for Mass) to me it answers the question, “What if Jesus was ‘just a man’?” The fact that the answer doesn’t make sense (“Judas still hasn’t figured it out”) tells me He must have been MORE than just a Man.
I agree “Sons of God” is pretty dire, but as a kid I actually used to like it.
I LOVE “I am the Bread of Life” and “Be not Afraid”, in fact I want them at my funeral.
My current parish uses a mixture of pre-V2 and post-V2 hymns. I certainly wouldn’t like it if it was just one or the other. Many of you people here seem to reject hymns out of hand just because they are less than 50 years old.
“Amazing Grace” – sorry for those who’ve grown up attached to it, but the tune puts me off. And it’s not suitable for community singing, although everyone seems to think they can sing it. And it does contain theologically questionable lyrics ( I am already “saved”, we “will” be in Heaven etc.) – the sin of presumption. By the way although it was composed by an ex-slave trader, he didn’t have a Damascus type conversion, he just gradually grew more religious with age. AG wasn’t a spur of the moment hymn, it was one of a huge number of hymns he churned out over several years.
“Gather us in” is OK except for the line “not in some Heaven, light-years away”. OK it’s theologically (and astronomically) wrong, but you can appreciate the point it’s trying to make. “Give us the courage to enter the song” to me means “Give us the courage to openly join in the Church and openly live and proclaim our Faith”. What’s wrong with that?
“Lord of the Dance” is a great song, but again perhaps not suitable for community singing at Mass.
The worst I ever heard was at a children’s Xmas eve Mass in the 80s when they played a tape of “Joy to the World” - no, not the traditional hymn, the hit song by Three Dog Night containing the verse
“You know I love the ladies
I love to have my fun
I’m a high life flyer and a rainbow rider
A straight shootin’ son-of-a-gun”.
I assumed it must have been an accident by whoever arranged the music, intending it to be the hymn, but the next year they did the same thing!.
And no, Nan S, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence” (while not suitable for Mass) isn’t “heresy and anti-God”, it’s (admittedly subtly) pro-God. The lyrics about “the neon god they made” are a satirical comment about our society’s search for a replacement in consumerism for the God it has rejected.
As for JC Superstar (again definitely not suitable for Mass) to me it answers the question, “What if Jesus was ‘just a man’?” The fact that the answer doesn’t make sense (“Judas still hasn’t figured it out”) tells me He must have been MORE than just a Man.
I agree “Sons of God” is pretty dire, but as a kid I actually used to like it.
I LOVE “I am the Bread of Life” and “Be not Afraid”, in fact I want them at my funeral.
My current parish uses a mixture of pre-V2 and post-V2 hymns. I certainly wouldn’t like it if it was just one or the other. Many of you people here seem to reject hymns out of hand just because they are less than 50 years old.
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Petergee
Guest
Do you mean “Turn, Turn, Turn” by Pete Seeger, which was a hit for the Byrds? The lyrics consist almost entirely of a quote from the Book of Ecclesiastes. It seems perfectly orthodox to me.
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