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#6. Songs with bottomless lyrics.

Jan 6th by Jon


Have you ever gone to a church and sung one of those songs that feels like it has 984 lines? I have. We love to sing songs that the worship leader can stretch depending on how the “spirit is moving him.” Growing up, our church had one that went, “in our ______ Lord, be glorified.” In a heartbeat you could grow the song by saying, “in our home, in our church, in our schools, in our town, in our municipality, in our scooter riding cat owning club Lord, be glorified.” Good times.

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Comments

sonneta Mar 23, 2008

I know exactly what song you are talking about!

In our ____, Lord, be glorified, be glorified. In our _____, Lord, be glorified, today.

Rbeman Mar 31, 2008

Those kind of nearly contentless songs were all the rage in the 70s and 80s, when the Vineyard churches had a bunch of songwriters who knew next to nothing about the Bible. They wrote these kinds of songs that could be sung equally well by a Muslim, Mormon, Jew, etc. My favorite was the one that went,

Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia

Who can argue with that? Plus as a bonus, you could make up more verses in the way you describe, as long as you had four syllables. “I will praise him,” or “Bob is hungry,” or whatever.

Heidi Lois Apr 11, 2008

I’ve certainly encountered this, but I think my home church is, bless its heart, guilty of the opposite – rigid dependence on structure, virtually preempting any “movement of the Spirit” by ensuring that no spontaneity is possible.

See what I did there? Bless its heart? LOL!

Beloved MaMa™ Apr 13, 2008

give me wax for my board…keep me surfing for my Lord…give me wax for my board I pray…hallelujah…

I recently learned that this version may have only been sung in so cal…where I grew up…I thought everyone sang it…

Give me oil in my lamp keep it burning burning burning…

Christy Davis Feb 25, 2010

Or as the Veggietales would sing it: Give me gas for my Ford… keep me truckin' for the Lord, give me gas for my Ford I pray….

Anonymous Apr 14, 2008

I can sing of your love forever
I can sing of your love forevermore
I can sing of your love forever
I can sing of your love forevermore
I can sing of your love forever
I can sing of your love forevermore
I can sing of your love forever
I can sing of your love forevermore
I can sing of your love forever
I can sing of your love forevermore

(you get the idea)

Ethan Apr 25, 2008

The more I read this blog the more I think we all go to the same church.

Clare Apr 30, 2008

At our church, we consider these a form of “7-11″ songs (seven verses, each sung eleven times…)

Michelle in Mx May 6, 2008

BWAhahahaha!!!!
I’m a missionary in Mexico to the deaf. One of my tasks is interpreting the Spanish worship songs for them. So, forgive me if this is “non-chirstinan like” and God is worthy of ALL praise, but I hate these types of songs while I’m signing. There is one song in particular that I cring when I have to sign it . . .in English it is:
Holy, you are holy
King of King
Lord of Lords
You are holy . .

worthy, you are worthy . .

etc.

Chris Perez May 21, 2008

In my six-fo Impala wit the dubs, Lord, be glorified!

perkyguy May 26, 2008

Give me hot sauce in my taco
Help me witness in Morocco
Give me hot sauce in my taco
I pray (Hallelujah)
Give me hot sauce in my taco
Help me witness in Morocca
Help me witness
‘Til the break of day
Sing Hosanna, etc.

Ruth Wilkinson Jun 10, 2008

Lord, lift me up and let me stand
Where the devil can’t do me no harm
Lord, lift me up and let me stand
Where the devil can’t do me no harm
No harm, no harm, no harm
No harm, no harm, no harm
No harm , no harm, no harm
No harm, no harm, no harm
No harm, no harm, no harm
(let’s see, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… one more)
No harm , no harm, no harm
Where the devil can’t do me no harm.

Lauren Jul 4, 2008

Those songs bug me a little for one reason:
When a church has more than one singer in a worship ensemble, it is almost inevitable that someone will get mixed up on which word comes next.
I am thinking about the song “Holiness, holiness is what I long for”
I don’t even which word comes next. Is it faithfulness? peacefulness? It’s all too confusing.

John M. Kirton II Jul 21, 2008

I think it’s funny (strange) that sometimes, the “Spirit” is leading only the worship leader with continuously, nonceasingly singing “bottomless lyrics”! Fortunately, our worship leader doesn’t do that (or should I say, the Spirit hasn’t yet led him to do so!)

J-Ra Sep 4, 2008

I think the worst is “Awesome God.” I like it the way Mullins sang it, with actual verses. But I’ve NEVER been to a church that sang those, and only recently found out that there were verses. And churches sing it over, and over, and over, and over….

S L Jan 14, 2010

People are still singing that song? Oh dear.

chiapett Nov 6, 2008

God is so good. God is so good. God is so good. He’s so good to me.

I love Him so…

He cares for me…

I’ll praise His name…

Satan is bad…

I stubbed my toe…

Christina Dec 8, 2008

lol, be glorified was the first song I learned to play on the recorder (and one of the last)

Steve Ray Mar 2, 2009

Give me salt for my Frito cause the Lord is really neato…

Give me gas for my Ford, keep me truckin’ for the Lord…

Alastair Duncan Feb 3, 2010

Give me wax for my board keep me surfin' for the Lord…

Anonymous Mar 3, 2009

I know the man that wrote “Lord Be Glorified” and we joke about that a lot!

Ceri Mar 10, 2009

I just about died laughing.. I’ve heard so many variations on those types of songs that I grew to quickly despise them.. IMHO they’re only good if you’re trying to make new/creative verses :)

Anna vB Mar 28, 2009

i just only got to number 6 and am already laughing out loud. great blog… this will keep me up all night :)

Julielynn May 30, 2009

After about the 20th repetition of “I could sing of your love forever” I used to verrry quietly switch to “We’ve been singing this song for hours.” It drove my holier-than-thou then-husband bonkers. I attend a church with hymnals now.

wv: prent – the few days pre-Lent in which one overindulges in whatever one plans to give up.

Emily Jul 23, 2009

I heard this one 50 billion times on a middle school retreat 12 years ago, and have hated it ever since:

Mercy is falling, is falling, is falling
Mercy it falls like the sweet spring rain
Mercy is falling, is falling all over me
Hey-oh! I receive your mercy
Hey-oh! I receive your grace
Hey-oh! I will dance forevermore
Etc., ad nauseam

Not as bottomless as "Be Glorified," but the perpetual "is fallings" and the "hey-ohs" were enough to make my head want to explode. And this was at a stage in my life when I was also listening to the Spice Girls, so that tells you how much musical taste I had.

twinkz Jul 29, 2009

I've never laughed so much in my whole life…I set about looking for extra verses for "Give me oil in my lamp" and came across this site. You all are a hoot! I've never been to a church where all we've sung is mindless diddies…even tho I know them all. I'm with the one's that have hymnals, but that can be as frustrating. You have more than 600 pages and they only use appx. 100 songs. I don't get it and I get bored. Keep up the good work us Christians need a good laugh now and then. You all made my day.

Josh Oct 8, 2009

"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty" day and night they sang this around his throne. It's not always the poetry or content of the lyrics, but the heart behind them that God honors."

Christian DanceMusic Nov 26, 2009

The songs are long and simple, so everyone can sing them no matter the level of singer they are. And after 5 minutes everyone knows the words. Some are very Looooooong though. Too long!

Allie Dec 3, 2009

MAD LIBS, BABY!

GAM Dec 18, 2009

I totally agree! On so many of the newer songs we keep repeating over and over again.

Trixie Jan 8, 2010

And of course these are the songs that run never ending in your head throughout the day and the rest of the week. Over and over…and over……………..and over…..

Amanda Jan 26, 2010

Was watching a televised service recently and I am not lying, the SAME woman sang the SAME worship song for over 20 minutes. I actually left, went to the bathroom and curled my hair, and came back and it was still playing. I could hear it from the bathroom, so I know it lasted the entire time. I mean, I understand having a moment, but seriously. You know when you hear a word over and over and it suddenly takes on a new and humorous sound? By the time it was over, I'd had that 'funny moment' with just about every word in the song and was laughing uproariously.

Alastair Duncan Feb 3, 2010

oh, I see someone already did that one!

Ann Feb 19, 2010

I love the perpetual repeat at the end of some songs, not as witty as the song you’re talking ’bout, but effective nonetheless.