The only regular Sunday service I attend these days is in prison where we sing proper hymns, from Mission Praise. Having grown-up in a Christian sense in Linden Church, renowned - or notorious depending on who's describing it - for its happy clappy style of worship, it comes as a change. And it's rather nice. I am discovering lots of old hymns with such excellent words.
Anyway, as I said, this morning I went back to Linden and something struck me: modern song-writers do not know how to end a song.
The last line never seems to quite fit and it always feels as if you have to go back and start again until you get to a point when it is appropriate to stop. It is possible, with some over-enthusiastic worship leaders, to sing one song for half an hour. That is, I've always thought they were enthusiastic but perhaps they just couldn't work out how to stop.
The good thing about hymns, and why they're especially good to sing in prison, is that they're easy to pick up, the melody doesn't change per verse, and they finish. Also there is a vague possibility that some of the men might remember them from singing in school/church in their youth.
That's not to say that there aren't any wonderful modern songs: there are plenty. But they're outnumbered by the rest. But here's a good one.
And this one was written by an Irish woman, Charitie Lees Bancroft in 1863.
3 comments:
I much prefer Modern songs in church. Happily flappy is brilliant. I was brought up a ROMAN Catholic, and now I realise why I don't go there. The Hymns!! Dull and droning. It all needs to be bright and welcoming.
I may be a pagan, but I still enjoy a nice rousing hymn myself, provided that it's positive and joyful.
I still remember the words of hymns we sang in school. Some are dreary but many not, Anne.
Absolutely, Debra, a good bit of rousing.
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