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Amazing Grace



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Sun Oct 29, 2006 5:51 am
Snoink says...



OMG. So we were at church, and then the choir sang "Amazing Grace." And I didn't think much of it at first, because I thought the song was over-rated, etc., but the lyrics really struck me. Anyway, I thought I'd share it with you guys since I know that some of you try to write religious poetry glorifying God and stuff like that, and perhaps if you read this, it might help you see religious lyrics at its finest. :)

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, Who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.


I think I like the last stanza best because it loops it back to the beginning again. And it's just so pretty!

So anyway, yeah. What elements did you like and stuff?
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

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Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:20 am
Wiggy says...



OMG!!!!!! And I thought I was the only one who thought that some church songs were pretty!!!

Actually, surprisingly, the lyrics to church songs to have quite pretty lyrics. Amazing Grace has always been one of my favs. :D
"I will have to tell you, you have bewitched me body and soul..." --Mr. Darcy, P & P, 2005 movie
"You pierce my soul." --Cpt. Frederick Wentworth

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Sun Oct 29, 2006 3:20 pm
Areida says...



Amazing Grace is truly beautiful. I wish more people would sing the middle verses; I don't think they get sung nearly as much as they should.

"Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
"

Because I mean... come on... that's great. ^^
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 6:36 am
Fireweed says...



I'm not religious, but I agree that Amazing Grace is a beautiful song. :)
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:10 am
backgroundbob says...



Lots of churches with really young congregations are starting to sing the really old hymns again, just because they're belatedly realising just how incredible and beautiful a lot of the imagery is. Just because you hated singing all ten verses of them played on the organ when you were a kid doesn't mean they can't be reintroduced! Amazing Grace is definitely one of the best, but there are loads and loads of good ones out there, you just have to look.
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 8:11 pm
Snoink says...



Yeah, and I'm starting to find them. Many of them are in 3/4 time, which is pretty cool. This is because this is "God's" time signature because of the trinity and stuff. Also, they have snippets of Dorian mode, which is just too cool. :)
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Mon Nov 13, 2006 9:00 pm
Fand says...



That's really the only reason I like church (I have an innate distrust of organized religion) is the music... my friends find it so amusing that I, the most "spiritual NOT religious" person they know, go around singing hymns. My favorite? "How Can I Keep From Singing," especially the Taliesin Orchestra version with the uilleain pipes in the beginning. Gorgeous.

EDIT: Another religious song that I'm incredibly fond of, though not a classic, is Ben Harper's "Picture of Jesus," with its traditional African style. I seriously recommend this song! A sample of the lyrics (referencing Martin Luther King, Jr.):

There was a man in our time
His words shone bright like the sun
He tried to lift the masses
And was crucified by gun.
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:05 pm
Areida says...



There are some truly striking images in contemporary Christian music every now and then, but quite a bit of it makes me want to gag. I mean, the whole "let's sing the same three words over and over and over and over!" thing drives me crazy.

Three of my favourites:

When We All Get to Heaven

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessèd
He’ll prepare for us a place.

Refrain

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!


While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when traveling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Refrain

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

Refrain

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.


Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!


^^ That one makes me choke up at some point nearly every time I sing or hear it.

The Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.


O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Refrain
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Tue Nov 14, 2006 2:27 am
Fand says...



Ari >> I've never heard the second, but the lyrics are breathtaking. I'll have to see if I can't find a decent version online somewhere.

And now a few more of my favorites...

An excerpt from "How Can I Keep From Singing?" written by Robert Lowry, 1860 (This little two-stanza snippet is possibly my favorite musical anything of all time, and gorgeous in terms of poetry, as well.)

My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation
I hear the sweet though far off hymn
That hails a new creation;
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear that music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul...
How can I keep from singing?



"Blessed To Be A Witness," by Ben Harper

Corcovado parted the sky
And through the darkness
On us he shined
Crucified in stone
Still his blood is my own
Glory behold all my eyes have seen, have seen

I am blessed (4x)
I am blessed to be a witness

Some have flown away
And can't be with us here today
Like the hills of my home
Some have crumbled and now are gone
Gather around for today won't come again
Won't come again

I am blessed (6x)
I am blessed to be a witness

So much sorrow and pain
Still I will not live in vain
Like good questions never asked
Is wisdom wasted on the past
Only by the grace of God go I
Go I

I am blessed (6x)
I am blessed to be a witness.


Corcovado is a mountain in Brazil, overlooking the Rio de Janeiro. The name itself means "Hunchback." On top of Corcovado is a 125 ft statue of Cristo Redentor -- Christ the Redeemer.
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Fri Dec 01, 2006 11:51 am
Tinkerbell says...



some church songs are truly beautiful.
I don't go to church much nowadays, When I was little I got sent to Sunday school....
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