Use With Care
-
STLT#104, When Israel Was in Egypt’s Land
I’m going to let you down, dear reader, because there is a distinct lack of content today. I feel like I have a lot more work to do to understand this song’s actual origins, the history of its use by Harriet Tubman as a code song for the Underground Railroad, and its use today. I… Continue reading
-
STLT#99, Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen
Oh my goodness. I forgot this was in our hymnal. So… it’s a familiar song, one that has been recorded by such notable singers as Paul Robeson, Louis Armstrong, Sam Cooke, and Mahalia Jackson. It’s appeared in countless movies. For some reason, it appeals to many across racial lines, perhaps because everyone at some time… Continue reading
-
STLT#97, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
This is a beautiful, complex, heart-wrenching lament, which brings up a thousand beautiful, complex, heart-wrenching memories. In fact, I can’t imagine not crying or at least getting a little choked up, even if a memory doesn’t come, simply because the tune and the origin story – again, a song born out of slavery – is… Continue reading
-
STLT#95, There Is More Love Somewhere
So many choices this morning… Do I talk about the person for whom this tune is named, Steve Biko, the South African activist who spearheaded the Black Consciousness movement and died from injuries sustained while in police custody? Do I talk about the handy term zipper song, which indicates a song, often sung a capella, with… Continue reading
-
STLT#30, Over My Head
A song that evokes memories.. Over my head I hear music in the air. Over my head I hear music in the air. Over my head I hear music in the air. There must be a God somewhere. Over my head I hear singing in the air… Over my head I see trouble in the… 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.