Do you feel power in words? When you sang 'Joy to the World' so many times at Christmas, did you feel the song as you sang about the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love? Or when you sing in church or to the many old people you go out to, do you listen to how the melody compliments the lyrics and suddenly you aren't just singing anymore. 'He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock' and 'Blessed assurance Jesus is mine. Oh what a foretaste of heaven devine' become strong and real instead of just words trying to describe indescribable feelings and wonders.
Songs are a wonder to me. They take the seperate abilities of our vocal cords and minds, and mold them together and you've got something beautiful. And these songs in turn, stir hearts. But the key to stirring hearts with song is in the mixing. If you just think about the words while your singing, then you start judging the songwriter for how he uses grammar and punctuation. If you listen solely to the music, the words are meaningless and to you and your heart is not in the song and people around you can realize that. But when you thoroughly mix the words and the music, you are usually presented with an object that your heart can hear and your mind can feel. The softly sung words of a slow, thought-provoking song, tugging at your heart and making you cry for unknown or obscure reasons. Or the rousing, uplifting tune with joyful words and news that makes you want to sing it louder and louder until the whole world has lost its sadness and joined in.
Sometimes tho, the music is choppy. The timing is slightly stressful and takes a bit of effort to manage, voices cut in and out here or there, and besides that the words are weird. I don't know anything about writing songs so don't ask me for advice. But I've found that most old familiar songs aren't super stressful and choppy. Perhaps that is why they are old familiars. Of late I've been taking note of the words we sing in church, at youth, wherever. I've sung them for many years, but only in the passed year or so have I really begun to realize what they say. And it's amazing what they have to tell me. I used to want to sing new songs all the time because I was bored of the old tunes. I still do, of course, but now I love singing (most) old songs as well. The songs I mentioned in the first paragraph are but a fraction of the touching songs we sing.
Our voices strengthen in the last stanza of an Easter song- 'Hallelujah' and then we quiet down as we sing with awe and wonder 'What a Savior.'
'It is well with my soul.' The first stanza of the chorus is sung a bit quietly as the baritones of the men's voices have not joined us yet. We repeat it once, twice altogether to complete the rest of the chorus and by repeating it we start to wonder at the words. By the end of the crescendo, everybody has determined that it is well with their soul, or it will be soon.
'I took a long long walk by the river. Had a quiet peaceful talk with my Lord' This old song is a personal favorite. Perhaps due to the fact that we sung it a lot with the kids in Gallup and you would frequently hear them singing it while playing thruout the day. Perhaps it's also due to the promises it gives us. 'My Jesus has broad shoulders. His back is stronger than mine. He was there the first time I called him. He'll be there any place any time.' The slow timing and the medium range that doesn't hop around drastically lends a solemn, thoughtful air to the song while the well-placed rest ensures that we stop and think about what we are singing to ourselves.
'Oh Lord when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made.' This song, too, is one of my favorites. It's a simple praise song, that some how takes unusualish words like 'lofty mountain grandeur' and 'scarce' and 'acclimation' and combines them with a tune to create a piece of timeless music. It is best sung under the stars, around a fire, out on a hike thru some great red rocks, or whenever you are in the great out doors and can see the nature God created and you can truly, in awesome wonder, proclaim 'How great Thou art.'
There are many more I could mention. 'Oh how I love Jesus' was once upon a time, maybe even still is, my Grandma's favorite song. I haven't heard her sing it for awhile but I can hear her in my head 'There is a name I live to hear.. It tells of One whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe.' 'The solid rock' becomes a lot more precious when you hear it sung by memory by littlw 4 and 5- year-olds who don't really know what they are singing but they're repeating what they hear from family and in church. 'Sitting at the feet of Jesus' and 'Behold what love' and 'Savious breath and evening blessing' and 'He comes to bless my soul. All these songs are much more than pretty tunes. Take a Christian Hymnal or another old songbook sometime and listen to the words as you sing the songs. You'll start putting more feeling into the song when you're really listening to the words and letting yourself react to them.
Try one more thing. Sometime when you sit in church, stop singing and just listen. Listen as the hundred or so people blend their voices, singing the words in perfect unison. You might just hear the words first. Maybe just the songleader or the enthusiastic soprano behind you. Keep listening. Close your eyes. Soon the harmony will start to blend in. You'll
hear high and low. You'll hear the music and you'll hear the words. You'll hear everything. And it will be hard not to join in.
Ah yes my friends. My thoughts are slightly scattered and this post is not fluid. The time is galloping toward midnight and sleep is nigh unto me with daylight on its heels. I must take my leave and let your mind take over where my words left off.