So happy Election Day! I was getting ready for Sunday worship by putting together (along with some other folks) aversion of the song "When the World is On Fire." It seemed apropos somehow. It fits the mood. It is not actually a political song but a religious one. That said, the title sets the context for now and for the 1930's when it was first a hit for the Carter Family. Later Woody Guthrie used the tune for "This Land is Your Land" Anyway, here are the words if you want to sing along! When the World is On Fire Oh, my loving mother, when the world's on fire Don't you want God's bosom to be your pillow? Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me I'm going to heaven when the world's on fire And I want God's bosom to be my pillow Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me Oh, my loving brother, when the world's on fire Don't you want God's bosom to be your pillow Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me Oh, my loving sinner, when the world's on fire Don't you want God's bosom to be your pillow Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me Don't you want to go to heaven when the world's on fire Don't you want God's bosom to be your pillow Tide me over in the Rock of Ages Rock of Ages cleft for me That is it! It is totally worth checking out the Carter Family version by the way, along with a number of the later covers that slightly alter the tune.
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.Here is a fun song that I like very much but is sometimes confused with a church song. We have certainly played it in church! That said, it's not a hymn, really. It just has a kickin' hymn-like chorus. The chords are simple (G, C, G, D G). It is a fun song to chunk on, too. This is also one of those old songs that people sometimes msitake for a realtively new one. People like Johnny Cash, for example, are sometimes credited as the composer. He isn't. Wikipedia lets us know that it was written in 1907 by Ada Habershon and Charles Gabriel. Here are the words! Will the Circle Be Unbroken (A. Habershon and C. Gabriel) I was standing by my window On a cold and cloudy day When I saw that hearse come rolling For to carry my mother away Will the circle be unbroken By and by Lord, by and by There's a better home awaiting In the sky Lord, in the sky Well I told that undertaker Undertaker please drive slow For that body you are hauling Lord I hate to see her go Will the circle be unbroken By and by Lord, by and by There's a better home awaiting In the sky Lord, in the sky Oh, I followed close behind her Tried to hold up and be brave But I could not hide my sorrow When they laid her in the grave Will the circle be unbroken By and by Lord, by and by There's a better home awaiting In the sky Lord, in the sky I went home and my home was lonely Since my mother, she had gone All my brothers, sisters crying Oh what a home so sad and alone Will the circle be unbroken By and by Lord, by and by There's a better home awaiting In the sky Lord, in the sky McKinley Hollered/McKinley squalled/the docter said "McKinley, I can't find the ball"/You're bound to die/You're bound to die I do dimply recall a time before I knew I needed a song bout the assassination of President McKinley but, thankfully, that time is gone. I had surgery on my right arm this week and am unable to record another uke vid, so I am stealing one from the vault. I hope you like it! If you are at all interested in learning more about this precious piece of Americana you can check out a longer piece I wrote about it a while ago. Here is a classic old tune that has been popular with kids, around campfires, and church. I used only two chords (yay!). I started out on G and then went to D and back again so on until the end. Whatever variation you hear was simply done by lifting and lowering my fingers on some of the strings. It is a super-easy thing to do! I suspect the words are intuitive but just in case, the first verse goes like this: Over my head I hear trouble in the air (3x) There must be a God somewhere The enxt verses just change one word! Yay folk music! The next verse substitutes "music" for "trouble" then "music" then "singing" then "glory". As happens to me from time to time, my chord progression is slightly wonky between the verses. I will work on that. |
AuthorI play a number of musical instruments. In addition to the ukulele I play the mandolin, guitar, rhythm bones, and a few other things. This page, though, is about my uke project. I recently decided to post once a week on a uke-themed topic. Most of these posts will be simple songs you can sing along to. Maybe later I will do more informational videos as well. Archives
August 2021
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