There I was sitting in Mass today, very much looking forward to singing "Amazing Grace" while the collection was taken up. A beautiful song, solemn and inspiring, and fairly easy to sing (even for those of us who are shy about singing in public). "Amazing Grace, how sweet though the sound that saved a wretch like me...." It's a song about the power of divine grace, available to anybody, even the most wretched of wretches.
Alas, the music director piped in just before we started "We will use the alternate text, instead of singing "a wretch like me," please sing "and set me free." After a pause, everyone sang: "Amazing Grace, how sweet though the sound that saved and set me free...." Ughhh!! This is not an improvement over the original, neither in the phrasing nor the meaning. What exactly makes it necessary in 2006 to rewrite the lyrics of a song written in 1790? The song's author, John Newton of London (pictured left), was a slave trader before coming to Christ (and apparently for a while after too). He knows what he's talking about when he calls himself a "wretch." I prefer his profoundly inspired words over a 21st century happy-face rewrite.
Last Christmas, the principal at a Newton, MA middle school out caught some flack for a similar rewrite of an old song. At a Holiday Concert (which had both religious and secular songs), the lyrics to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" were changed to "We Wish You a Swinging Holiday." Again, ughh! "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is a song that dates back to 16th century England. How convinced of your own superiority do you have to be to think it needs revision now?
Write whatever new songs you wish, but please leave the old songs alone!
Dhimmitude must be nipped at every opportunity.
Posted by: Sissy Willis | March 26, 2006 at 06:22 PM
We take the poetry of hymns and make them politically correct. What next, Shakespeare? The Bible? (Oops, I forgot - the culture nazis have begun that work too.) Cultural fascism must be resisted anywhere and everywhere.
Posted by: Dan Crawford | March 28, 2006 at 08:00 AM
Hrm... didn't one major denomination (the Methodists?) remove all references to blood from their hymnal several years back?
Posted by: CarolinaBlue | March 28, 2006 at 10:44 AM
Take a gander at some of the "translations" of Latin texts such as the second verse of Panis Angelicus as published by OCP. They aren't translations at all. Well intentioned, I'm sure, but ham-handed none the less.
OCP - The Hidden Hand Behind Bad Catholic Music.
Posted by: Philip | March 29, 2006 at 08:08 AM
Miss Kelly needs to be careful where she puts the blame for the "alternative text" for Amazing Grace. The cause of this revision was the more rigid Catholic theologians who determined the original text of this Protestant hymn affirmed the Calvinist doctrine of the utter depravity of Man. They refused to allow it to be admitted to Catholic worship without this editing.
I guess some ecumenical comfort can be taken that Miss Kelly has set aside the former disputes about salvation and grace.
Posted by: Katherine | December 04, 2006 at 04:06 PM
Thanks, Katherine, for the info on where that change in wording came from (although I didn't actually assign any blame). My belief is, if you didn't write a song, then you can't change the words. Others can argue about theology.
Posted by: miss kelly | December 04, 2006 at 04:51 PM
Some would call that "theological liberalism" -- theology is not important, good music is.
I think sweeping under the rug the theological differences between the Catholic faith and Calvinism all in the name of a false ecumenism is a mistake.
You mentioned you were "sitting in Mass" and that you found "Amazing Grace" while declaring that the Catholic version "is is not an improvement over the original, neither in the phrasing nor the meaning."
Maybe we should just leave Protestant hymns outside of Catholic worship. But as you acknowledge it is a hymn that is beautiful. Adapting it to Catholic theology does not seem to be the worst sin.
Posted by: Katherine | December 15, 2006 at 04:45 PM
as a former Catholic - altar boy, student and CCD survivor and now born again believer- the truth is most priests are not saved and neither are the bulk of the attendees at the church. Their most important concern is what motion to do when and the best parking spot to get the hell out of there fastest.
Posted by: Jeff | May 13, 2007 at 09:27 PM
Miss Kelly,
I am a songwriter and just so you'll know, both poetic and songwriting traditions are full of borrowing and changing and we all benefit. The revisions reflect changes in our minds and hearts. We no longer believe ourselves EVER to have been wretches. We know we are born not to suffer but to enjoy the transcendental. Thank heavens for change.
Posted by: Roger Pelizzari | December 11, 2009 at 10:12 PM
RE: the idea of keeping oneself acquainted with darkness is completely contrary to simple physics and even common sense.
Whatever you put your attention on grows in your life. If you want grow darkness, go ahead but I prefer to grow light in my garden.
Posted by: Roger Pelizzari | December 11, 2009 at 10:21 PM