My Favorite Version Of "Hallelujah", Though I'd Change Some Lyrics—And A Few Reasons Why I'd Change Them

• I'd switch around "minor" and "major" and "minor fall and major lift".

• I'd change "but" to "though" for all of the verses
• I'd change Verse 3 to:

"Baby, I've been here before—I can't count how many times I've walked this God-damned floor—and this was all before I ever really knew ya"

• I'd add this verse (and if anyone is guessing, you're right that this is a "**** you" to Amy Grant's and her songwriters' incorrect theology—plus, an allusion to Job):

"The LORD, Who gives and Who takes away,

"Deserves my praise; that's all that I'll say—

"And as for your 'broken melody'—well, screw ya!

"And what you've done's worse than how I said

"'If Jesus really rose from the dead,

"'There's nothing 'better than a "Hallelu YAH!"'"

1. For me, this song doesn't have to necessarily be romantic (or at least exclusively romantic).
2. My paternal grandfather did not like music (or at least didn't like it until. as I found out later, his final days, to the surprise of my father and my grandmother. When he preferred to watch the live version of "The Sound Of Music" over a football game while he was in the hospital, my father told my sister and me, my father was thinking "Who are you?" and wondering if someone had taken Pop-Pop over.)
3. I think of every floor that I've walked one too many times (because of, e.g., OCD/Anxiety), and I think of everyone whom's tried to smugly (or however else) lord everything over me (whether they've been right or wrong). I have family members (including belated ones) whom insisted on wanting to think that they were right about everything, etc.
4. Even though (or because) I'm a Christian, I really dislike (and sometimes even hate, even though I shouldn't hate) the hypocrites and the Bible flouters like the "Better Than A Hallelujah" songwriters—even, e.g., Paul praised Jesus in his weakest moments and the Song in Revelation was a praise, even in so far as the martyrs were (and are, and will be) concerned.

By the way, I probably dislike the hypocrites that much because I'm a Jewish Christian—taking away the Jewish context of the Scriptures will automatically dilute the Holiness of Yehovah in the eyes of others, and taking away (for example) that David and others always (or at least overall) ended with praising Yehovah in even the psalms that were lamentations allows for songs that "are better than a 'Hallelu Yah!'"

"Hark; the Herald Angels Sing" Reclaimed From Charles Wesley

This was written for a couple of reasons:

1. The original lyrics are full of heresy and needed to be corrected. For example, Charles Wesley and the subsequent adapters of Wesley's lyrics claimed that Jesus was "heaven born" and "late in time". According to Tanakh (תנ''כח or תנ''כה for Messianics), however, Jesus was the "Only Begotten Son" and "born of a woman" whom was to be a virgin. 
2. I've been thinking about this since Christmas in December. It is now Christmastime in July.
3. Felix Mendelssohn was a Jewish believer. Ironically, he "felt unsuited to sacred music" the melody that we use today! Thus, stripping the Jewish context of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" is inappropriate! 

Hark; the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the King of Kings!"

Unto us is born a Child

Unto to God, we're reconciled! 

Joyful, all ye nations rise!

Join the triumph in the skies!

With angelic hosts, proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

Hark; the herald angels sing, 

"Glory to the King of Kings!"

Bless the virgin-born Prince of Peace!

Bless the Sun of Righteousness! 

Light to those in darkness He brings—

Ris'n with healing in His wings!

The King of Kings departs His throne
To live and die like His own

And to raise the sons of man
Given to Him, the I AM!

Hark; the herald angels sing, 

"Glory to the King of Kings!"

Christ by His elect adored
Christ the Everlasting Lord
As promised, behold He's here!
Unto us, our God draws near!
The Son Whom's Begotten, not made
With the wicked, He made his grave

And from the grave, He arose
And gave new life to the dry bones  

Hark; the herald angels sing, 

"Glory to the King of Kings!"

"Smile", A Short Story

"I love your smile," Andy told Rich. That was years ago, though. Now he didn't love his smile—or him. He couldn't love his smile; he couldn't love him, and he couldn't love anything or anyone else. No matter how he tried to do so, he just couldn't do so—he had dementia, and the dementia was wearing him down.

One of Andy's best friends came up to Rich one day, when Rich was hunched down from thinking about it. "What's the matter?"

"Andy doesn't love me anymore."

"What? He's always been like a dad figure to you."

"Well, he's sick—just sick."

"Don't talk about about Andy like that—just because you fell out with him doesn't mean that you have to talk about him like that. Do you hear me?"

Rich bit back tears, holding his lower lip with his front teeth as he tried not to cry. "Andy has dementia, sir."

Andy's friend looked stunned. "What?! Andy?....Oh, I'm so sorry."

Nobody but Rich really knew, anyway. Only Rich had gotten the phone call.

"I feel guilty, boy. I can't do it—I just can't do it. I'm so sorry."

"Can't what, sir?"

"Can't love you anymore—and can't love anyone anymore. I'm trying to love, boy. I just can't—I have dementia."

Then the radio blared a Lonestar song in the background. "You can't help how you don't feel, and it doesn't matter why."

Rich bit back tears, thinking a prayer. "Perfect timing, God," he mumbled inside of his head. He then told Andy, "You don't have to explain—I understand."

That phonecall was in the summer. The encounter with Andy's friend was in the fall. The visit with Andy was in the winter, and that's when Rich and Andy's friend played that Lonestar song for Andy.

Then Rich thought to himself what he wanted to tell Andy: "It's like the song says: 'Give me a chance to bow out gracefully...'."

"Go, boy," Andy demanded. Andy knew what Rich wanted: to leave Andy with his friend and go peacefully.

Rich laughed. "Last-minute lucidity; huh, sir?"

"Get out of here, boy." Andy knew that he was dying, and he knew that Rich knew it—and they both knew that they knew it. There was no second guessing and no questioning. Andy was ready to go.

Rich smiled and saluted Andy, a World War Two veteran. "Rest in peace, sir."

Andy then went "in style" after he had kissed Rich on the head and the cheeks—Rich was like a son to Andy, after all. Andy went with his friend beside him as the angels carried him home—and, fittingly, in the winter, for he had been in the winter of his life.

Rich, meanwhile, walked away from Andy's hospital room and down the hall, and he let the tears run down his face and let his pain show.

Information (including copyright information) about "Smile". The author does not intend copyright infringement whatsoever in any way, shape, form, circumstance, fashion or manner.

"Man Of Constant Sorrow"--Work of Fiction Based On the Song Lyrics and Covers From the Soggy Bottom Boys and Charm City Devils

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. (Disclaimer copied and pasted from TVTropes.org)

©2013 Nicole Czarnecki. All rights reserved by the author. "Man Of Constant Sorrow" is listed as "Traditional" and written from 1888-1913 according to Wikipedia, and thus has no copyright date or has an expired copyright. The cover by the Soggy Bottom Boys was copyrighted in 2002, and the cover by the Charm City Devils in 2012. The lyrics are in the public domain.

The author has done thorough- and accurate-research, and used prior knowledge to the best of her knowledge and ability.

Lyrics taken from http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/soggy_bottom_boys/i_am_a_man_of_constant_sorrow.html at the time of the writing of this work. 

A reference list of sources used for specific information (not common-knowledge, general, non-copyrightable or public-domain information*) at the time of this writing can be found at the end of this work. (*e.g., language is not copyrightable)

(In constant sorrow all through his days)

I am a man of constant sorrow
I've seen trouble all my days
I bid farewell to old Kentucky
The place where I was born and raised

(The place where he was born and raised)

For six long years I've been in trouble
No pleasure here on Earth I found
For in this world I'm bound to ramble
I have no friends to help me now

(He has no friends to help him now)

It's fare-thee-well my old true lover
I never expect to see you again
For I'm bound to ride that northern railroad
Perhaps I'll die upon this train

(Perhaps he'll die upon this train)

You can bury me in some deep valley
For many years where I may lay
And you may learn to love another
While I am sleeping in my grave

(While he is sleeping in his grave)

Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger
My face you never will see no more
But there is one promise that is given
I'll meet you on God's golden shore

(He'll meet you on God's golden shore)

Chapter 1

"Out; out!" they screamed. And that was that--Kehillath Kodesh Adas Israel had kicked him out, sat shiva for him, and sent him packing. He mumbled, "You can't even get your damned Hebrew right!" So much for Liberal, or Progressive, or Tolerant, or Inclusive, or whatever-the-Hell "Judaism" they called it, anyway--besides, they had to liberalize (really, bastardize) the Hebrew, anyway: it was "Kehillat-Kodesh Adat Yisra'el", anyway. 

He was angry enough that he couldn't think clearly. How dare they deal with him in that manner! "Liberal" in zayn tuchus! "Progresiv" in zayn tuchus! "Tolera'nt" in zayn tuchus! "Far kirev" in zayn tuchus! He wasn't a cursing man, but fury raged within him--he had been treated in such a shlekht shteyger, and he was a Levite! How dare those Yisra'elim! How dare those 'am-ha'aretz! How dare those minim!

He used the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to catch a train as far away from Louisville as possible--to somewhere, to anywhere, and to somewhere and anywhere but Louisville. He just didn't know where. Un "Brith Sholom" in zayn tuchus--an adat-l'hab'rit-shalom surely wouldn't kick an ish l'shalom out of any "Brith Sholom"--which, to him, would still and always be "Kehillat-Kodesh Adat Yisra'el", "Holy Community of the Congregation of Israel". 

Chapter 2

40 years later, and his life had completely changed--he was born when his now-ex congregation was founded, of age when the Emancipation Proclamation was made (for Sefer-B'Midbar read "Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by the descent from their fathers, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel."), and now of age plus a score of years. Incidentally--or perhaps not so--, he was of the same number of years as Moses when Moses' life changed--as the New Testament read, "And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong , he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed , and smote the Egyptian: For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not."

As Moses' life had changed over the course of a day, so also did the life of this Levite. He hadn't intended to change his life overnight--or, since his conversion happened during the day and as he thus joked to himself, "overday". He took a covered wagon to Cincinnati, Ohio, and then a train to Baltimore, Maryland. Finding no church with which he was satisfied or any Hebrew Christian congregation, he worshiped alone in his home on the Jewish and the traditional Christian Sabbaths--Saturday and Sunday, although some Christians observed their Sabbath on Saturday like the Jews did.

Then one day, he received a mysterious letter: "Mister Leve, a rumor concerning you is as such--that your Jewish neighbors have spied on you, since they have suspected you to be a Hebrew Christian among them. The rumor is also that you worship alone. ' Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised ;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching .'

"Mister Leve, if you insist on worshiping in your home, then I insist that we start a congregation in your home--for I am a Hebrew Christian myself, and many establish congregations within various' congregants' homes. The rumor, by the way, continues that your former congregation is Brith Sholom of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations--which, as I have heard and as I mention incidentally, has congregants among it that called their denomination of Judaism "Liberal" or "Progressive" before the Union itself did (and I would credit them as prescient and clairvoyant in that matter if only their denomination were "liberal" and "progressive", for who can have true liberty in worship and progress in his growth of faith without first having liberty and growth in Yeshua our Messiah?")

"Therefore, I propose that we found a congregation in your home and christen it 'Kehillat-Kodesh b'Chofesh-Ha'Emet'--'Holy Congregation In Freedom of the Truth'. By the way, I have no knowledge of how fluent you are in Hebrew; so I hope that you don't mind that I transliterated and translated my Hebrew name for your congregation for you.

"Shalom b'HaShem-Yeshua Mishichenu--Peace In the Name of Jesus our Messiah."

[To be continued...]

Toby Keith May Be A Song Stealer As Well...

He already got into trouble for "I Love This Bar" because he stole an idea. While nothing is new under the sun and one can't copyright ideas, one should at least try to credit the one from whom he got a very-specific manifestation of an idea. For example, he took a manifestation of an idea that Robert Earl Keen had, tweaked it a bit, and tried to make it his own--viz. "Bullets In the Gun".

I even read somewhere that he once said that he can't read sheet music, and the interviewer asked him what he does about publishing his songs, etc. in sheet-music form. After hearing the "Bullets In the Gun" controversy (hearing both songs as well--viz. REK's and "Bullets In the Gun", too) and reading that, I began to believe that Toby Keith is an idea stealer if not an outright song stealer. Listen:





Are at least the lyrics and the idea behind them all too similar too you?

Downhill-- A Poem

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"
Well, I've thrown some at my own
"If you've nothing nice to say, don't say a word"
But you might best cage the bird

We don't need the song sung out of control
We can't always let things go and just roll

Downhill-- everything's going downhill
I can't pretend that I see no evil
Or that I hear nothing
I'll speak up, say something
Downhill, everything's going downhill

Downwind-- can you catch me there in an hour?
You can't, gone with the power
Of the breeze, trav'ling whichever way it blows
But in the end-- in the shadows

You'll be, and I'll watch you from the meadows
I might even laugh as my voice bellows


Downhill-- everything's going downhill
I can't pretend that I see no evil
Or that I hear nothing
I'll speak up, say something
Downhill-- everything's going downhill

Here I am in Abraham's bosom and Paradise
And you're begging for water, and asking "Could you be nice?"
It's too late; I can't cross the chasm--
If I tried; I might fall and spasm


Downhill-- everything's going downhill
I can't pretend that I see no evil
Or that I hear nothing
I'll speak up, say something
Downhill-- everything's going downhill

(Spoken) I wouldn't want to be in your shoes
For if I was, that'd be bad news
For me, for you,
For everybody
And their all mothers, too
You probably know how the old expression goes
But if you don't, you will
I can't even briefly save your soul with witty prose
Lest I'd go downhill

"God Help the Outcasts" Lyrics Rewritten

The original lyrics here

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR ME
OR IF YOU'RE EVEN THERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WOULD LISTEN
TO A "JEW GIRL"'s PRAYER.
YES, I KNOW I'M JUST AN OUTCAST,
I SHOULDN'T SPEAK TO YOU.
STILL I SEE YOUR FACE AND WONDER
WEREN'T YOU ONCE AN OUTCAST TOO?

GOD HELP THE OUTCASTS,
HUNGRY FROM BIRTH.
SHOW THEM THE MERCY
THEY WON'T FIND ON EARTH.
GOD HELP MY PEOPLE,
THEY TRY TO LOOK TO YOU STILL.
GOD HELP THE OUTCASTS
OR WHOEVER WILL?

I ASK FOR WEALTH.
I ASK FOR FAME.
I ASK FOR GLORY TO SHINE ON MY NAME.
I ASK FOR LOVE.
I CAN POSSESS.
I ASK FOR GOD AND HIS ANGELS TO BLESS ME.

I ASK FOR NOTHING.
I CAN GET BY,
BUT I KNOW MY PEOPLE, THEY'RE LESS BLESSED THAN I.
PLEASE HELP ISRAEL,
THE POOR AND DOWN-TROD.
I THOUGHT WE STILL WERE THE CHILDREN OF GOD.
GOD HELP THE OUTCASTS
CHILDREN OF GOD.