The new song book

bobld

I know it's has been mentioned before but my 2$ worth.Iam sure if they (J.W.) had listen to the music and song without knowing who published the new song book.They would say "this song book is AWFUL with no end of criticism."Also over 90% would agree and would not bat and eye.

Knowing that the WBTS published this (garbage) song book over 90% agree what a great song book.Talk of brainwashed people.I can't stand the music, it sounds like some kindergarden kid is taking piano lessons.Did they not rehearse.It is awful the the dough heads won't admit it.I say they will do a re-issue,revision 2 next year.

Bob

yknot

I doubt the 're-do'........... the WTS likes to get it's money's worth on its books!

Yea it is awful...... why oh why the piano and not the full on orchestra stuff I will never discern!

People sing quietly with the piano and belt it out like they were on American Idol with the sing-along versions!

Oh well the morale lifting aspect faded quickly!

JimmyPage

I think the song book proves that there are no plans for mainstreaming in the near future. If they were, the songs would have a backbeat, a catchy melody, or memorable lyrics.

Instead, it is just the same old reheated mind-numbing garbage.

Designer Stubble

The title of the New Songbook should be: Sing Praises to the Governing Body. Two examples:

Song 51/11: Making Jehovah’s Heart Glad

Old Book (Song 51):
2. May we from your side never move;
A liar the Tempter we would prove.
Your principles and laws so right
We would make daily our delight.

New Book (Song 11):
2. Your slave, your steward here on earth,
Proclaims your greatness and your worth,
Feeds us with nourishment when due,
Thus strengthens us your will to do.

Song 174/43: Stay Awake, Stand Firm, Grow Mighty

Old book (Song 174):
2. "In his place each one be heeding, what Christ Jesus has to say"

New Book (Song 43)
2. "Stay alert to Christ's direction, Through his faithful slave today, heed the counsel of the older men"

crapola

I've not seen or heard the new song book yet.

EmptyInside

It is awful. My mother told me she was going to order the music, but that she changed her mind. She's a zealous Witness, but she can't stand the new song book. All the songs sound alike.

cattails

The worst part is that some of the old songs have one or two lines changed and it throws off just about everybody.

They could have kept the old and added new, or replace old with new, but this reworking of music and lyrics is too confusing.

It's just awful!

ana_dote

yeah i managed to get my hands on a new songbook....and my first reaction was anger. I grew up a witness and taught myself piano to those old songs....so regardless of how I feel about the organization now, I always had a fondness for the songbook the way it was. When I discovered that they were changing and adjusting the lyrics to the old songs it PISSED ME OFF. You can't just change one or two words or lines in a song! Have they no artistic integrity??? How offensive that would be to whomever wrote the song in the first place! "oh we're sorry, your song no longer applies to our brainwashing methods, so we're just gonna tweak it a bit and throw in a few buzz words".....yeah. NICE.

jerks.

BluesBrother

I know that this thread is now 6 days old but the last comment is priceless !

Have they no artistic integrity??? How offensive that would be to whomever wrote the song in the first place!

Come on ! the WTS has no more interest in culture than the Taliban who destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan ..Artistic merit means very little . The songs are all about the message , the words - Spreading the Kingdom Good News in the light of current truth - just put it to a tune....

As for the original songwriter? I guess he signs a waver of all rights to it if it is taken up by the WTS. There was a story printed in the WT (so I know its true) about song 29 in the old songbook."Forward You Witnesses tee TUM tee TUM tee TUM"

A brother Frost (now dead) wrote it in a Nazi camp during WW2. It was committed to memory and smuggled out.

That song has survived and is now No. 17 but mangled by the 'Thought Police' ...The tune looks different. Sadly I do not read music and cannot describe it , but the notes are different. In the chorus the words "Gods New Order is near" are replaced by "the paradise is near". Verse 2 has been left out entirely. The old verse 3 is now verse 2 and a new third verse has been written. I am not minded to type out the bland words.

So? "Up yours Erich Frost ..We used the inspiring story of your incarceration in a Concentration Camp ...but we do not care enough to protect your song !"

ana_dote

yeah...i knew it was a silly statement to express my outrage for the "artistic integrity" of a "kingdom melody" lol but still....being a musician it just offends my artistic nature :-P

I just think it's wrong to simply mold the songs to fit new "light" or new beliefs. If the old songs were so "wrong" or off the correct path of thinking, why not just pitch them and get entirely new ones? But no...the society is just doing what it does best with all of its literature.....taking something that was originally written as solid undefeatable truth and tweaking and changing it every so often to slowly conform to whatever they want the masses to believe and then saying that the original written document shouldn't even be looked at anymore.

The song book unfortunately is not exempt from that method.

The new song book

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