-
STLT#177, Sakura
I had the opportunity to sing this once, as a solo, to commemorate Hiroshima Day. While set on a pentatonic scale, it is in what musicologists call Phrygian Dominant Minor Mode – which is another term for “very unfamiliar but striking intervals that are at once difficult and haunting.” It was not easy for me to… Continue reading
-
STLT#176, Daya Kar Daan Bhakti Ka
I suspect most of us have flipped past this a thousand times. I suspect the combination of Hindi language, no translation, and fear of the unfamiliar keeps us away. And it’s too bad. Because not only is this a beautiful lyric, but it’s a beautiful and catchy melody. Take a listen: Isn’t that great? It’s… Continue reading
-
STLT#175, We Celebrate the Web of Life
Sometimes a hymn sits next to our principles, or waves from across the room at them, or bumps into them in the hallway as they’re rushing to a committee meeting, or left a cryptic email, or BS’d its way through an essay about them in an ethics class. Sometimes a hymn is a principle, embodied.… Continue reading
-
STLT#174, O Earth, You Are Surpassing Fair
Remember back when the news was bad and I was singing happy cheerful hope-filled hymns? It was hard; I struggled to get past my own fears and anger and see the message those songs at those times held for me. Well, what goes around comes around, I suppose. Yesterday, I spent the day in Boston… Continue reading
-
STLT#173, In the Branches of the Forest
This is our happy, light Hymn. Not. A short post today, as I am traveling and typing this on my phone. I will say that the tune was deceptively harder than I expected – the intervals didn’t flow gracefully for me, and were at times discordant. Maybe that’s the point. This lyric is clearly not… Continue reading
-
STLT#172, Siph’ Amandla
This is another freedom song from South Africa, from during the time of apartheid. It’s got energy and power and a sense of urgency that is compelling and captivating. And while it isn’t the only thing that makes liberation happen, song does remain a powerful tool in the activist toolbox. From the songs of enslaved Africans,… Continue reading
-
STLT#171, N’kosi Sikelel’ i Afrika
I started this post thinking it was random thought day here at the Far Fringe, but as I write, I realize I do have some thoughts, largely because what I have learned about the song. So here goes: First, it’s helpful to know what this song is and where it’s from. It was written in… Continue reading
-
STLT#170, We Are a Gentle, Angry People
The downside of this spiritual practice is that it demands attention even on days when attention is hard to give. And more often than not, it is demanding the exact kind of attention I want to hide from on that particular day. This song, written by Holly Near in the wake of the Harvey Milk… Continue reading
-
STLT#169, We Shall Overcome
My first instinct this morning was to talk around the history of this song to get to a discussion of grammar – namely the meaning that shifts when we go from singing ‘we will overcome’ to ‘we shall overcome’… there’s something there, but god help me I just can’t be bothered to dig in. And… Continue reading
-
STLT#168, One More Step
A few short thoughts today. First, composer Joyce Poley is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and very much wrote this before we had an awareness of ableist language. But despite how sweet she is, she wrote one of the most annoying earworms we have. Sadly, it mostly gets played as an oom-pa-pa… Continue reading
Support this site
I am an entrepreneurial minister, which means I am a freelancer, and every part of my income comes from the work I do. The Hymn by Hymn Project was and is a labor of love, but I now am incurring increasing costs for hosting the site.
If everyone who visited gave just $5, those costs would be covered in a single week.
Whether you give once or monthly, your generosity will keep Hymn by Hymn free and available to to the tens of thousands of people who benefit from it.
Please support the project!
links
Learn more about my ministry at The Art of Meaning
Read my thoughts about congregational life at Hold My Chalice
You must be logged in to post a comment.