Worst Hymn Texts

[Aaron]

This train wreck was in the train wreck collection: Baptist Hymnal (1975 ed.).

God of Earth and Outer Space
God of earth and outer space, God of love and God of grace, Bless the astronauts who fly. As they soar beyond the sky. God who flung the stars in space, God who set the sun ablaze, Fling the spacecraft thro the air, Let man know your presence there.

God of atmosphere and air, God of life and planets bare, Use man’s courage and his skill As he seeks your holy will. God of depth and God of height, God of darkness, God of light, As man walks in outer space, Teach him how to walk in grace.
God of man’s exploring mind, God of wisdom, God of time, Launch us from complacency To a world in need of thee. God of power, God of might, God of rockets firing bright. Hearts ignite and thrust within, Love for Christ to share with men.

God of earth and outer space, God who guides the human race, Guide the lives of seeking youth In their search for heavnly truth. God who reigns below, above, God of universal love, Love that gave Nativity, Love that gave us Calvary.

That noise you hear is me gagging...

This came immediately to mind as soon as I saw the topic heading.

Here's another one:

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear
Fallin on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing.
And the melody
That He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I'd stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go
Through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
​

Absolute sappy, sentimental drivel.

 

[Ruiz]

Yep. That's the criticism of a lot of songs in the hymnal. I definitely sound like a good argument and it has the virtue of wanted to exalt God above humankind.

However, consider the biblical Psalms - part of the inspired word of God. Here's a particularly well-known one:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
He leadeth me beside still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
Thou annointed my head with oil.
My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

16 references to the psalmist (David) and only 11 references to the Lord.

So is this a good hymn/psalm or not? :tongue3:

(Please forgive the King James. I memorized this as a very small child, long before anyone in our church used modern English translations.)

I think you miss the point. The song I was quoting wished to make much of me "I am so important that I was the highest person God was thinking about." This is not to say that Psalm 23 is focused on my relationship with God and His glory, not my own.

 

[Pastor Kyle]

When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.​

The fourth and fifth lines imply that as long as we are walking in His will He will stay with us, but the Word of God teaches us that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

The same is implied in "The Old Gospel Ship" in the 3rd verse:

"If too much fault you find you will sure be left behind"​

Our church sings this song and it drives me up a wall

 

[Alcott]

How about "Life's Railway to Heaven?" I like that one, but mainly because I've always been fascinated with trains, and am a model railroader. So if one like's a hymn because one like's the hymn's nonbiblical imagery, does that rate it unsatisfactory? On the other hand, the 23rd Psalm and the parables of Jesus use illustrations that were common in their time and place. Is it allowable to continue that today? Is that why so many diss that outer space hymn? (I don't know what the melody sounds like)

 

[jrscott]

I usually don't read this board, but this thread got my attention because my friends and I love to compare notes on this one.

Has anyone the old "Heavenly Highway"? (The 1st ed. It was removed in the
2nd ed). I believe it was #181

Ain't it a shame

Vs. 1
Ain't it a shame to work on Sunday
Ain't it a shame (a workin' shame)
(REPEAT)
Ain't it a same to work on Sunday

CHORUS:
WHen you've got Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
And you've got Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Ain't it a shame?

Skip to vs. 3
Ain't it a shame to LIE (!!!) on Sunday
Ain't it a shame (a lyin' shame)
(REPEAT)
Ain't it a shame to lie on Sunday
When you've got Monday Tuesday Wednesday
And you've got Thursday Friday Saturday
Ain't it a shame?

Vs 4
Ain't it a shame to gossip ...



And this is the final verse.
Hard to believe anyone ever sang this.

 

[jaigner]

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear
Fallin on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing.
And the melody
That He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I'd stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go
Through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Yes, this one is as vapid as it gets.

 

[Zenas]

Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of life
End over end neither left nor to right
Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights
Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of life.

 

[rbell]

This came immediately to mind as soon as I saw the topic heading.

Here's another one:

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear
Fallin on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing.
And the melody
That He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I'd stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go
Through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
​

Absolute sappy, sentimental drivel.

Yes, but think how many people cry when it's sung at your funeral!!

Gadzooks...Aaron and Rbell agree on something.

The rapture must be around the corner. Wow. Posts will go down by nearly half!

:laugh:

 

[rbell]

Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of life
End over end neither left nor to right
Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights
Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of life.

You gotta admit, though...this song goes quite well with a three-point sermon.

Get it? Three points?

(insert rim shot)

 

[Zenas]

You gotta admit, though...this song goes quite well with a three-point sermon.

Get it? Three points?

(insert rim shot)

:laugh::laugh:

 

[Thousand Hills]

Not a hymn, but I heard this on a country station the other day, and some of it bothers me.

Me And God - Josh Turner (with Ralph Stanley)

There ain't nothing that can't be done
By me and God
Ain't nobody come in between me and God
One day we'll live together
Where the angels trod
Me and God

Early in the morning talking it over
Me and God
Late at night talking it over
Me and God
You could say where like two peas in a pod
Me and God

He's my Father
He's my friend
The beginning
And the end
He rules the world
With a staff and rod
We're a team
Me and God

I am weak and he is strong
Me and God
He forgives me when I'm wrong
Me and God
He's the one I lean on
When life gets hard
Me and God

He's my Father
He's my friend
The beginning
And the end
He rules the world
With a staff and rod
We're a team
Me and God

He rules the world
With a staff and rod
We're a team
Me and God

We're a team
Me and God

 

[Mike Stidham]

Finally, I heard one recently that said, "Christ before me, Christ behind me..." I was beginning to think they were pantheistic.

Nah, just Irish. St. Patrick is credited with that particular verse.

 

[David Lamb]

This train wreck was in the train wreck collection: Baptist Hymnal (1975 ed.).

God of Earth and Outer Space
God of earth and outer space, God of love and God of grace, Bless the astronauts who fly. As they soar beyond the sky. God who flung the stars in space, God who set the sun ablaze, Fling the spacecraft thro the air, Let man know your presence there.

That noise you hear is me gagging...

Reminds me of:

1. God of concrete, God of steel,
God of piston and of wheel,
God of pylon, God of steam,
God of girder and of beam,
God of atom, God of mine,
All the world of power is thine!

2. Lord of cable, Lord of rail,
Lord of motorway and mail,
Lord of rocket, Lord of flight,
Lord of soaring satellite,
Lord of lightning’s livid line,
All the world of speed is thine!

3. Lord of science, Lord of art,
God of map and graph and chart,
Lord of physics and research,
Word of Bible, Faith of Church,
Lord of sequence and design,
All the world of truth is thine!

4. God whose glory fills the earth,
Gave the universe its birth,
Loosed the Christ with Easter’s might,
Saves the world from evil’s blight,
Claims mankind by grace divine,
ALL THE WORLD OF LOVE IS THINE!
​

Much worse (to my mind) is:

Every star shall sing a carol
Every creature high and low,
Come and praise the King of Heaven
By whatever name you know.

chorus: God above, man below
Holy is the name I know.

When the king of all creation
Had a cradle on the Earth,
Holy was the human body
And the day that gave him birth.

Who can tell how many crosses,
Still to come or long ago,
Crucify the king of heaven ?
Holy is the name I know.

Who can tell what other cradle
High above the Milky Way
Still may rock the king of heaven
On another Christmas Day ?

Every creature he will gather,
All shall know him for their own.
I will praise the son of Mary,
Brother of my blood and bone.

Every star and every planet,
Every creature high or low,
Sing the everlasting carol:
Holy is the name I know.


​

 

[preacher4truth]

How about this one, which was sung by churches from my hometown: (This was banned by a local Christian station there, and was a popular song in Charismatic churches who saw no problem with its theology ) This is by the Rev. F.C. Barnes

Verse 1:
Oh lord, I'm strivin', tryin' to make it through this barren land,
but as I go from day to day, I can hear my Savior say,
"trust me child, come on and hold my hand".

Chorus:
I'm comin up on the rough side of the mountain,
I must hold to God, His powerful hand.
I'm comin' up on the rough side of the mountain,
I'm doin' my best to make it in.

Verse 2:
Im comin' up Lord,
although my burdens sometime they press me down,
but if I can only keep this faith
I'll have strength just to run this race;
I'm lookin' for my starry crown.

Chorus:
I'm comin up on the rough side of the mountain,
I must hold to God, His powerful hand.
I'm comin' up on the rough side of the mountain,
I'm doin' my best to make it in.

Verse 3:
This old race will be soon be over,
they'll be no more race to run.
And I will stand before God's throne,
all my heartaches will be gone,
I'll hear my Savior say, "welcome home".

Chorus:
I'm comin' up on the rough side of the mountain,
I must hold to God, His powerful hand.
I'm comin up on the rough side of the mountain,
I'm doin' my best to make it in.

 

[Old Union Brother]

This is one I really don't like see if you can see why:
I'll Lay My Crown
Soon this life will end
And I'll hear the sweet sound
Saying child enter in
You've won a crown.
I don't deserve
Such Mercy and Grace
So there's one thing I'll do
When I see his sweet face
(Chorus)
I'll lay my crown at the masters feet.
Then I'll bow down
As all nations crown
Him king of all kings.
I'll cry hallelujah my joy is complete
When I lay my crown at the master's feet

The good things I've done
Seem little to me
For if not for his love
I know where I'd be
So lost without hope
No future in view
So when I see my Lord
There's something I've got to do.

 

[nodak]

I won't sing "Come now is the time to worship" for two reasons.

The first is reading the back story on the web. If it is true (and I am not so sure of my source) at the time it was written the guy wasn't so sure he still believed in Jesus any more, but did feel God told him he could still come and worship. I'm trying to verify or debunk that one.

But I couldn't sing it anyway. I don't believe the lines about how the greatest treasures are for those that gladly choose Him now. Wow. Just wow.

What lesser treasures can there possibly be for those who do not "choose Him" in this life but only bow the knee and confess with the tongue on judgement day?

And of course, I always get confused to hear that song in Reformed churches. Just Who is choosing whom?

 

[jaigner]

I won't sing "Come now is the time to worship" for two reasons.

The first is reading the back story on the web. If it is true (and I am not so sure of my source) at the time it was written the guy wasn't so sure he still believed in Jesus any more, but did feel God told him he could still come and worship. I'm trying to verify or debunk that one.

But I couldn't sing it anyway. I don't believe the lines about how the greatest treasures are for those that gladly choose Him now. Wow. Just wow.

What lesser treasures can there possibly be for those who do not "choose Him" in this life but only bow the knee and confess with the tongue on judgement day?

And of course, I always get confused to hear that song in Reformed churches. Just Who is choosing whom?

I agree. Plus we don't come "just as you are to worship."

And it's not really a hymn, either.

 

[billwald]

"Battle Hymn OF THE REPUBLIC"

I propose the "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" as having the worst text. It might be a good Jewish text but not Christian.

 

[jaigner]

I propose the "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" as having the worst text. It might be a good Jewish text but not Christian.

This is correct. It has nothing to do with legitimate Christianity. It's actually horrifying to consider its theology, I think.

 

[nodak]

Not to mention the fact that I used to know folks that would not sing it because they were SOUTHERN Baptists and not gonna sing any Yankee song.