Songs that are TRULY Different

As I mentioned in the last post, the Minister of Music at my church received two boxes filled with old hymnbooks and songbooks from ages past. Most were published in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. One book in particular caught the attention of some of our staff as we met in Rodney's recently cleaned-out office: "Songs that are Different" by F.M. Lehman. I'll just present some of the songs that we are hoping Rodney never has us sing on Sunday:

Remember in the last post I spoke of "Jesus or my boyfriend" type songs. Those are not unique to the current age. Read the lyrics to this hymn: "My Honeymoon."

Jesus is the only lover of my soul (of my soul),
He has won my heart and now has full control (full control);
Other loves come and go, Jesus never leaves me so -
There's a honeymoon in my heart all the time (since He is mine).
F.M. Lehman (1917, renewed 1945)

Here's a song of warning of all the false teachers of the day, presented in "The Auction":

Come ye, come ye, bargain seekers!
Come and see our special wares;
We are stocked with worldwide notions,
Have our counters full of snares.
We have Mother Eddy's science, Pastor Russell's no-hell seeds,
What we lack in real gospel we supply in crooked creeds.

We have Theosophic lectures,
You may purchase by the yard;
We will sell you cheap religion
if you'll only sign a card.
You may buy an easy method
How to clime [sic] the golden stairs
We have just received a shipment of the the famous brimstone wares.

We have games of chance for ladies
for their Thursday afternoons;
Statuary nude and paintings,
spicy songs with racy tunes.
Ho, ye! Come and take off our bargains!
Hell today is out of date.
Easy creeds will surely give you entrance through the golden gate.
F.M. Lehman (copyright 1919, renewed 1947)

Did anyone ever sing this song - "The Brown Blade"- in North Carolina?

There's a very noxious weed, fed by appetite and greed,
That is chewed by worms and goats and foolish man;
It discolors tooth and tongue in the age and the young,
It is time we placed this poison under ban.
We have seen church members, too, often slyly smoke and chew,
Heard them sing of heav'n and golden crowns to wear;
But they never will get through be they Gentile, Greek, or Jew,
God has said the filthy folks will not be there.

Some use the filthy stuff in the form of powdered snuff
On their gums or else they snuff it up their nose;
And a snuffiend who can smell with his breath the taint of - - well?
He is soaked in nicotine from heard to toes.
Though you think this song is odd
It will take the grace of God to regenerate the users of the weed.
It is time we were afraid of the brown tobacco blade
For the manhood of the nation we will plead.

Hell will reap a harvest yet through the deadly cigarette,
For our boys and even girls are gone astray;
Can our youth be truly just when the great Tobacco Trust
Flaunts its deadly wares before them night and day?
It is not enough to frown; we must break this evil down
By publicity and pray'r, both far and wide;
With no tombstone at his head,
Ol' John Barleycorn lies dead - King Tobacco shall be buried at his side.

Heaven is a clean place, no tobacco there.
All the folks are holy over there.
If you refuse to do God's will,
The Book syas you shall be filthy still.
F.M. Lehman (copyright 1920, renewed 1948).

People REALLY hated cigarettes back then. Check out this song: "King Nicotine Must Die!"

I have walked the woodland meadows
where the sunbeams flashed and broke,
But I never saw the cattle nor the sheep and horses smoke.
I have watched the birds in wonder
When the world with dew was wet,
But I never saw a robin smoke a filthy cigarette.

We broke the beer and whiskey jug, we smashed the license plan,
We'll take away the pipe and plus - We will; we know we can.
We voted out the vile saloon and made the nation dry;
Tobacco, too, must go; and soon, King Nicotine must die!

I have fished in many a river
When the sucker crop was ripe,
But I never saw a catfish puffing at a brierwood pipe.
I have watched the playful monkey
eating peanuts from my hand
But I never saw it dipping snuff at some tobacco stand.

I have listened to the cricket
And the droning katydid
But they never sang their love song through the droolings of a quid.
I have seen the hooting wood owl
sitting on its lonely crag,
But I never saw if puffing at a two-inch Turkish fag.

Finally, hot on the heels of the Scopes Monkey Trial, churches (somewhere) sang this song:

The "wise and prudent" tell me just what once I used to be -
A "germ" and then a "tadpole" then a "monkey" up a tree;
But just because a coconut fell on their poor old head
should be no reason I believe what disbelief has said:
They're guessing! Just guessing - only guessing!
(slowly here)
God made you and me. We're no relation to the money up a coconut tree.

Some ignoramus of the schools in mortarboard and gown
Declares this "monkey business" has been ably shifted down;
He guessed because a coconut fell on his hollow head
that evolution must be true; that Christ the Lord is dead.
F.M. Lehman (copyright 1924, renewed 1951).

This puts "God of Earth and Outer Space" on the level of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."

The Perfect Hymn: "My Mother is in My Mansion in Glory"

In the near-constant battle of today’s “worship wars,” two different ages tout the glories of their songs and denounce the woes of the “other kind of songs.” The battle line is usually one of style, which basically is synonymous with differing eras. People of all ages come to the same church and all of them want songs like they sang when they were growing up. Everyone likes familiarity. What we fail to admit is that our memories of our “golden days” are selective – we remember the good and forget the bad. We also fail to remember or realize that all eras have some of each.

To be sure, many of today’s popular worship songs are simply horrible. They suffer from unsingable tunes or from theologically weak lyrics. It is often hard to discern if you are singing a song to your Savior or to your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse. Also, what will future generations think of the depth of this song?

Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes Yes Lord,
Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes Yes Lord,
Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes Yes Lord. Amen.

The older generation might hear such words and scoff at the theological airiness of such lyrics. I join them. However, their memories are selective. It wasn’t all “Power in the Blood” and “Amazing Grace” back in the day, either. Rodney Harrison, our Minister of Music, was just presented with a two boxes full of old hymnals and songbooks. A quick glance through these books from the 1920s-1950s brought many a raised eyebrow.

It was soon apparent that many of these songs centered on certain themes. In particular, I was amazed at the number of “going home” songs. Generations past seemed to focus a great deal on leaving this earth behind and were in a hurry to get to glory. I assume the recent Great Depression had a lot to do with that, not to mention World War I and the looming World War II. I'd want out of here, as well. But take a look at some titles from a few songs:

I Want to Go There, Don’t You?
When I Enter the Gate
I’ll Be Singing in my New Home
I Am Going to My Home
I’m on the Highway of Love
There’s a Mansion
There’s a Mansion in the Sky
And, my favorite, There’s No Housing Shortage in Heaven. Here are the lyrics:

There’s no housing shortage in heaven,
No searching for somewhere to live,
No signs “We are sorry, no children”
No bribes to an agent to give;
We’ll never be bothered by landlords,
Demanding their rent when it’s due,
Up there we may live in a mansion,
Rent-free, and utilities, too.

There’s no housing shortage in heaven,
I’m bound for that home all my own.
“Twas purchased for me by my Savior,
No mortgage, no trust deed, or loan;
I’m going to live there forever,
No taxes, no rentals to pay,
What a joy will be mine in that country divine,
When I come to my last moving day.
Grover C. (Grandad) Hite and J.R. (Pap) Baxter, Jr., 1946

Another common theme was “mothers.” I was stunned by the number of songs extolling the virtures of motherhood or mourning the passing of long-lost mothers. Here are some titles:

O Dear Mother (Once I had a precious mother . . . )
O Mother How We Miss You
Heaven is Nearer Since Mother is There
Once again, one in particular stood out. Here are the lyrics to Shake My Mother’s Hand For Me:

When you reach that golden city,
Friends and loved ones you will see;
When the saints come out to meet you,
O shake my mother’s hand for me.

There are times I often wonder
How can all these trials be?
Time can’t keep me here much longer
O shake my mother’s hand for me.

Over there you’ll meet my Savior
Many others you will see.
When you’ve had a talk with Jesus,
O shake my mother’s hand for me.
Eugene Wright, 1937

Some songs reveal religious attitudes of the day (that often remain). Here’s another good example:

Ain’t it a shame to work on Sunday,
Ain’t it a shame, a working shame
Ain’t it a shame to work on Sunday,
Ain’t it a shame, a working shame.
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
And you got Thursday, Friday and Saturday,
Ain’t it a shame.

Ain’t it a shame to joyride on Sunday . . .
Ain’t it a shame to gossip on Sunday . . .
Ain’t it a shame to lie on Sunday . . .
Cook and Whitworth, 1939.

Finally, I noted this song: R.E. Winset wrote “The Skeptic’s Daughter,” a true story in song. It contains 17 (!) verses.

However, either in today’s or yesterday’s music, none compare to the songs in “Songs that Are Different” by F.M. Lehman. This collection of songs published by Lillenas Publishing in Kansas City sometime in the late 1940s is amazingly bad. How bad? You’ll find out in the next post.

A New Hymnbook, A New Old Hymn

Lifeway has announced that a new Baptist Hymnal will be produced in 2008. It appears that the organizers of this new book are getting serious about the theology of our hymnody, saying "the theology of the hymns and songs is so critical, the group was deliberately made up of theologians and musician/theologians." I am especially pleased to see the inclusion of Ron Owen, co-author of Return to Worship. I count Ron a good friend, as well as his co-author, Jan MacMurry, a member and parent of three of my former youth in my previous church in Kingsport, Tennessee. The committee will discern the relative worth of each hymn - both old and new - with the following questions:

• Does the hymn speak biblically of God?
• Is it God-honoring?
• Does the hymn present a biblical view of man?
  
• Does the song help us to cover the depth and breadth of our theology?
• Does the hymn call us to true discipleship, service, repentance, witness, missions and devotion?
• Does the hymn speak biblically of salvation?
• Does it engage the whole person - allowing a person to express his deepest feelings?
• Does the hymn emphasize that Christ is the Christian's Lord, Master and King? (the idea of total submission)
• Does the hymn present an Americanized/Westernized gospel? (civil religion)
• Is there a balance with corporate and individual response in worship? (immanence and transcendence)
• Does the hymn speak biblically about the church, the body of Christ?

The list above makes me wonder if twelve Baptists in a room can come to an agreement on what is the biblical view of God and man but I am hopeful. At the very least, I doubt that Hymn #20 from the 1975 edition will make the cut: "God of Earth and Outer Space." I always wanted to shout out #20 during one of the "old-fashioned hymn singin's" we used to do in other churches. Sing along with me:

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.

Excuse me whilst I compose myself!

Nathan Finn, professor at Southeastern, also notes a hymn familiar to our older generation from the 1953 Broadman Hymnal. He writes that "a student introduced me to a hymn that I am convinced needs to be added to the new hymnal. It has history. It has panache. And it is Southern Baptist to the marrow. So without further adieu, I give you 'A Million More in ‘54,' the companion hymn for the well-known SBC Sunday School enrollment campaign of the mid-1950s:

A million more in fifty-four! Enrolled in Sunday School,
To hear the gospel, read the Word And learn the Golden Rule.
A million more in fifty-four, To leave the paths of sin;
To meet the Saviour, know His grace, And find new peace within.

A million more in fifty-four! The gospel will be sown
In hearts of women, boy and girls, And men who have not known
The saving pow’r of matchless grace Provided by God’s Son
Who came and died on Calv’ry’s tree To save them, ev’ry one.

A million more in fifty-four! Depends on workers true;
Our hearts, our strength, our wills, our time, We dedicate anew.
We each must visit, work, and pray In answer to God’s call.
A work to honor Christ our King Demands our best, our all.

Chorus:
A million more in fifty-four, Enrolled in Sunday School;
A million more in fifty-four, Enrolled in Sunday School.

[By W. Hines Sims. Copyright, 1953, Broadman Press]

YOWZA! I'm so thankful we didn't have to hear tortured lyrics from the "Everyone Can, You're It" campaign.

Alvin Reid, SEBTS professor of evangelism, makes a valid point in the comments to Finn's post: "I have often said 'if the 50s come back, most of our churches are ready.' By that I do not mean their evangelistic passion, because I wish we had more of that as then. But I do mean our obsession with conformity of style and method, and with the obsession toward programmatic ministry that was born in the middle of the 50s. I may blog on this at some point, but if one reads CE Matthews’ Southern Baptist Program of Evangelism (appropriate name for the times) one can see a double edged sword–I love the passion I read to see people come to Christ, but the meticulous programming sowed seeds whose harvest we are still reaping, and represents much of what we must change."

This song did mark a turning point in the SBC - a quickening descent towards the idolatry of numbers and the beginnings of our bloated membership rolls, both of which continue to be the cancer that we must fight within the convention and each individual church.