Kingdom Melodies Cassette No. 999999999........ (page 2)

Kristen

Keep Your Eyes on the Fries

-McDonald's Medley

r51785

We're the Watchtower Witnesses
We speak out in cluelessness
Ours is the god of false prophecy
What we fortell never comes to be!

Abaddon

My girlfriend is training as a classical singer...

What with Easter and that, I went to see her (and two choirs and seven soloists) 'do' Handel's Matthew Passion.

It's about three hours long and is about Jesus getting killed. I lost a little as it's in German and my German is worse than my Dutch, but the audience were silent for something like twnety seconds after the end, they were so THERE (Christ, nails, tree) at the end of it.

A contrast to 'be-bomp-be-bomp-be-bomp-be-bomp-be-be-ba-ba-be-ba'

(name that song)

Just shows what happens if you have a religion designed by a comittee...

I am a hard-boiled atheist, but I wish I'd gone to a church where they sang gospel...

... it's almost good enough to make you get out of bed on a Sunday morning.

However, sex is good enough to make you stay there.

8-)

jschwehm

Hi-

My sister still attends the Kingdom Hall sometimes but really has no desire to be a JW. I think she still goes just to keep peace with my mom.

Anyway, she told me that she was sitting in my JW mother's living room singing the hymn "Amazing Grace". My mother came in and asked her why she was sing *that* song and not one of the kingdom songs. My sister told my mother that she was singing "Amazing Grace" because at least it is a pretty song. LOL I could not believe she told my mother that!!! My mother is a true believer.

Also, when we were really young we used to use the pink songbook. My brother Jason loved the song

"Hey There All You Thirsty Ones,
Come and drink "ICE" water free."

LOL He used to really belt it out too.

Jeff S.

Skimmer

I remember the pink songbook. It came in two versions, one with a paper cover and a more expensive one with a leatherette cover. Of course, all the "spiritually strong" members had the upscale model.

One thing I recall about the lyrics is that there seemed to be an attempt to steer clear of the more detailed doctrinal points. Perhaps this was to avoid the need for printing new versions in response to the spasms of "new light" issued by the Brooklyn Boys.

Also, I remember articles in the WT about the editorial selection process for the songbooks. In the early days, there was a significant usage of songs from Babylon the Great and these were weeded out bit by bit for obvious reasons. Also, in one of the WT articles, it was hinted that there just might have been a little innocent theft where some of the lyrics or melodies were, uh, borrowed from copyrighted sources and that this was another reason for revision.

But the thing I remember most is that Kingdom Halls are the only places of worship I have ever seen that do not provide hymnals for all who might attend. Maybe this was because all the KHs I saw had cheap, uncomfortable chairs with no place to store a songbook. Why didn't they have pews? Was it just a question of cost, or was it because there were JW owned companies that made folding or stackable chairs? I note that in all the KHs I've seen, there was no expense spared for extensive landscaping and lawn work, none of which could be seen during a meeting. Got to keep up public appearances, I guess.

By the way, my favorite religious song is _Amazing Grace_. I have a bagpipe version on CD.

Jimmer

I was just commenting to a friend the other day my recollections of the music at the KHall when I was a child. Sad, dreary, heartless funeral marches. BLAHH!!!!
Hey, let's throw in some drums and guitars along with some lively singers.
And about "Amazing Grace," it certainly must be to a JW. (Of course, Jws are amazingly without grace of any measure.)

Prisca

A contrast to 'be-bomp-be-bomp-be-bomp-be-bomp-be-be-ba-ba-be-ba'
(name that song)

Sounds like the Australian national anthem, but I could be wrong
("Australians all let us rejoice, For we are strong and free")

Even as a witless, I always like "Amazing Grace". I couldn't see any objection to it, the words that I remembered fitted in with JW philosophy. Now that I'm out, I can relate even more to it. It's still a pretty song.

Stephanus

But the thing I remember most is that Kingdom Halls are the only places of worship I have ever seen that do not provide hymnals for all who might attend. Maybe this was because all the KHs I saw had cheap, uncomfortable chairs with no place to store a songbook. Why didn't they have pews? Was it just a question of cost, or was it because there were JW owned companies that made folding or stackable chairs? I note that in all the KHs I've seen, there was no expense spared for extensive landscaping and lawn work, none of which could be seen during a meeting. Got to keep up public appearances, I guess.

Not every church has hymnals; in fact the tendency is away from such easily misplaced/ destroyed phsical property. The shift is towards overhead projectors. The songs are still copyright and paid for, just not in book form. This way everyone can look towards the front and sing loudly and unfettered by the hunched over position that poring over a hymnbook can produce.

As for the guy who suggested drums and electric guitars, a faithful witness at the door sneered at this as proof that he was "in the Troof"; he saw churches that did this as just being entertainment venues.

bonnie38

Although I thought some of the songs were horrible, I loved to sing at the meetings. I was painfully shy and hated to comment, but I loved to sing. When I was a teenager, we used the pink songbook, and I used to play the piano at the meetings. I was disappointed when they went to cassettes.
Bonnie

patio34

Well, I have to admit I loved the song that went:

Joyful be all day long as we take on every task. ....in God's favor we do bask. There is nothing lacking, we have God's backing, what more from him do we now need to ask. We have peace, we have calm, and contentment that is deep. Self-sufficient are we, close to God we strive to keep. and so on.

It's a cheery, energizing, zippy song that I really liked. Actually, I feel the qualities mentioned in the song maybe even more now!

Patio

Kingdom Melodies Cassette No. 999999999........

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