Hymns You Just DON'T Get-Be Honest!!

[HeatherJay]

I bring this up because of one song that we sing often...Trees of the Field. I mean, I get it, I guess, but it's, for me, very different than the normal hymns that we sing....and it's so FAST...I always get tongue tied.

So I shared my "weird" hymn...what's yours?


TREES OF THE FIELD

You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace
The mountains and the hills
will break forth before You
There'll be shouts of joy and all the trees of the field
Will clap, will clap their hands

And all the trees of the field will clap their hands
the trees of the field will clap their hands (2x)
while You go out with joy (Repeat)

 

[Piano Player]

Slightly off topic, but... My father said when he was a child he always wondered why they were singing about "Gladly, the cross-eyed bear." My sister's name is Holly, and when I was little I wondered why the whole church was singing "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!" Talk about sibling rivalry.

 

[ClementofRome]

I bring this up because of one song that we sing often...Trees of the Field. I mean, I get it, I guess, but it's, for me, very different than the normal hymns that we sing....and it's so FAST...I always get tongue tied.

So I shared my "weird" hymn...what's yours?


TREES OF THE FIELD

You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace
The mountains and the hills
will break forth before You
There'll be shouts of joy and all the trees of the field
Will clap, will clap their hands

And all the trees of the field will clap their hands
the trees of the field will clap their hands (2x)
while You go out with joy (Repeat)

This might help with that:

(KJV) Isaiah 55:12
"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

See the metaphorical context of the passage from Isaiah.

 

[ClementofRome]

Slightly off topic, but... My father said when he was a child he always wondered why they were singing about "Gladly, the cross-eyed bear." My sister's name is Holly, and when I was little I wondered why the whole church was singing "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!" Talk about sibling rivalry.

My favorite to laugh about as a kid was , "Led On Oh Kinky Turtle."

 

[ClementofRome]

I had a similar discussion about the theology of Christian hymns/songs with a colleague some time back and we agreed that contemporary Christian music is a theological wasteland in many instances. But he brought up an error with the following hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Now I am not as much of a hair splitter as my colleague, but he concludes that this hymn is theologically incorrect in that the scriptures nowhere say that Jesus is our friend. Scripture does say that we are Jesus' friend....but that He is our Lord and Savior.

I was not quite sure how to respond to that one.

Others that I have chuckled over in the past have to do with glorifying Jesus' name in some way, shape or form.....when his name was NOT Jesus!

 

[ufonium2]

There was a whole book of them, and now I can't think of the name. Any time I'd see one from that book in the bulletin (I was UMC at the time) I would know it was gonna be weird. I wish I could remember the name. They tended to be faster, and were modal. Grrrr.....I'm going senile at 23!

 

[bigsierra]

I believe this is the one I always liked. I think it was number 188. hehe At the church I grew up in, they let people call out a hymn number, then we would sing it. We would sing till people stopped calling numbers.

Under His Wings
Barney E. Warren

I’m in the Lord’s sacred pavilion;
I rest in the holiest place;
His kingdom and all its dominion
I’ve found with abundance of grace.

Refrain:
Under His wings, yes, under His wings;
I’m resting in Jesus, oh, it is precious!
Under His wings, yes, under His wings;
I’m resting in Jesus, under His wings.
I’m in the Lord’s sacred pavilion,
Where peace like a river doth flow;
Where manna from heaven is given;
Where joys are eternal, I know.
I’m in the Lord’s sacred pavilion,
Thus sheltered securely from harm;
With Him I have constant communion,
I’m resting on His mighty arm.
I’m in the Lord’s sacred pavilion;
Where I would forever abide;
Though once far away—a lost alien—
In Jesus I now can confide.

 

[kayanne]

Others that I have chuckled over in the past have to do with glorifying Jesus' name in some way, shape or form.....when his name was NOT Jesus!

could you explain please?

 

[HeatherJay]

This might help with that:

(KJV) Isaiah 55:12
"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

See the metaphorical context of the passage from Isaiah.

As I said, I 'get' it...I know it's Biblical. It's just the tune and the melody and all that that drives me nuts.

 

[HeatherJay]

Since starting this thread, lol, I think the Lord is really working on me...lol, I've been unable to get the song (Trees of the Field)out of my head for the last 2 days. Singing it to my kids in the car and everything...isn't that funny and wonderful? I'm actually coming around to liking it, maybe.

 

[ClementofRome]

could you explain please?

Jesus is an Englishization (I know it it not a real word), of a Germanization of a Latinization of a Greekization of the Hebrew transliteration of "Yeshua."

 

[Celticflower]

There is one which is a favorite at the church we attend. I *think* it is called "the Wonderful Love of Jesus". This thing drives me crazier than a Gaither tune!! (strained rhymes, redundant lyrics and odd melody lines) My kids call it the calliope song, because that is what it sounds like. I have never made it thru the thing even once without getting lost, and the congregation "knows" it so well they no longer sing it exactly as it is written. I usually give up after one verse.

Celtie

 

[HeatherJay]

I had a similar discussion about the theology of Christian hymns/songs with a colleague some time back and we agreed that contemporary Christian music is a theological wasteland in many instances. But he brought up an error with the following hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Now I am not as much of a hair splitter as my colleague, but he concludes that this hymn is theologically incorrect in that the scriptures nowhere say that Jesus is our friend. Scripture does say that we are Jesus' friend....but that He is our Lord and Savior.

I was not quite sure how to respond to that one.

Others that I have chuckled over in the past have to do with glorifying Jesus' name in some way, shape or form.....when his name was NOT Jesus!

LOL, I think that's definitely splitting hairs.

John 15:13-1513 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

 

[jgarden]

Have you ever sang in Welsh? I sing with a 100 man Welsh choir and Welsh is brutal. Its not a Latin based language and its all ZZ's and WW's with no vowels. I love the music and the sound, but memorizing the "words" is difficult. Fortunately, Welsh hymns specialize in Amens, an they translate well. My personal favorite is Gwahoddiad.

 

[WesleyJohn]

.

 

[kayanne]

There's part of one hymn that I never "got" (and just never got around to asking anyone or looking it up somewhere). What's it mean in that one hymn where it says something like "now I raise my ebeneezer..."? (or something about an ebeneezer--I haven't sung it in a long time).

 

[WesleyJohn]

.

 

[Kokopelli]

My wife and I attend the "Common Ground" service at our church. The Common Ground is the church's contemporary service. To be honest, I do not get most of the songs presented, mainly because they are not directly from the hymnals. (been a while since I have attended a traditional Methodist service, so I cannot remember the songs) What is difficult with these particular hymns is that they are present on a Power Point slide with just the words. For the most part, they are nice songs. However, because they are on PowerPoint slides, I cannot begin to frighten my fellow parishioners with my horrid singing voice. One of these days, we are going to attend the 0830 traditional service. It is difficult at that hour as I am usually a zombie without any form of caffeine.

 

[feelingsymbolic]

There's part of one hymn that I never "got" (and just never got around to asking anyone or looking it up somewhere). What's it mean in that one hymn where it says something like "now I raise my ebeneezer..."? (or something about an ebeneezer--I haven't sung it in a long time).

Don't feel bad...I had to look into that one too...first time I heard it, I was confuzzled

 

[Diane_Windsor]

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the Holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.

According to the Cyberhymnal "the theme is uniquely English, and there is an undertone of 19th Century politics."

The underlined portion is what I don't get.