It happens every July: they sing it, they play it, they even make huge orchestral productions out of it. Often, it’s the one exception to the “no drums” commandment. There is a hymn that will echo through churches nation-wide this weekend, and may have this past weekend as well, that I hate. Using the word “hate” here.
It’s “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
This is a hymn written in praise of the sword, of violence, of hate and of spilled blood, and the Union, in its righteous indignation and fervent zeal sang it as they marched to war against their neighbors, their brothers and their friends, with the blessing and the aid of the government of the United States. It is the melding of the church and the state, the forging of Orcs in the flames of Mount Doom.
He has loosed the fateful lightnings of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on!
I am not of the school of thought that says that the South was just, right, and holy in its “Glorious Cause”, and that states’ rights was the major bone of contention in the War of Northern Aggression, even though,bless Gawd, I am a freedom-loving Texan. Excusing or defending the act of owning another human being is without defense, in my view, no matter how one seeks to phrase it, and the South should have lost.
The Union’s truth marched on.
But, then again, the thunderous marching of the government into the land of its citizens, who had seceded and formed their own sovereign nation, and then invoking the name of God to compel men to kill their former countrymen, destroying families and towns is also a horrific and despicable evil, made all the more heinous because we glorify the act in churches and parades across the land by loudly singing the Battle Hymn as though such violent words were based on the words of Christ.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat:
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh! Be swift my soul to answer Him, be jubilant my feet!
Our God is marching on
The song is not inspired by the truth of God, His power or His grace. It is inspired by the original lyrics:
John Brown‘s body lies a mouldering in the grave!
John Brown’s body lies a mouldering in the grave!
John Brown’s body lies a mouldering in the grave!
His soul’s marching on!
This tune, and its accompanying lyrics have always praised hatred and violence, and it sickens me that people sing such things gleefully and with such ignorant fervor as that with which this song is sung today. It’s tune is so catching, one can hardly not hum along even just reading the words, and that, to me, is an indictment on our lust for violence in this nation. To me, the better hymns for our country to lift to God would be “Rock of Ages” and “My Country Tis of Thee”.
Let me hide myself in Thee…
Let freedom ring…