Sunday, September 23, 2007

Pimp my Liturgy - 01

It was a dusty, hot day when, in 1947, a group of Arab Bedouin shepherds stumbled upon a long forgotten cave – filled with ancient scrolls and artefacts. What they found is considered by many as the greatest archaeological discovery of the last hundred or so years. A few years later, even more caves were found, bringing even more scrolls to light. Included in them were many deeply religious and inspiring liturgical texts, including liturgical calendars, hymns and poems.

So, today's Pimp my Liturgy will start off with a sensitive new rendition of 11Q6 (11QPs^b - click here for the original):


"Surely a Maggot"

- to be sung to the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm


"Surely a maggot cannot praise thee e-i-e-i-o
nor a grave worm recount thy loving-kindness e-i-e-i-o
With a wriggly maggot here and grave worm there
Here a wriggle there a wriggle
Everywhere are wriggles

But the living they can praise thee e-i-e-i-o
even those who stumble can laud thee e-i-e-i-o
With a living person here and a backslider there
Here a stumble there a stumble,
Everywhere are stumbles

In the Rule of Community there are sons of light e-i-e-i-o
and on top of that even more sons of darkness e-i-e-i-o,
With a evil person here and a good person there,
Here a goody there a bady
Everywhere are badies

And in these communities there are appointed times e-i-e-i-o
And rules for dipping and washing and crapping e-i-e-i-o
With a splash splash here and a chant chant there
Here a belly flop there a splash
Everywhere an appointed time

Surely a maggot cannot praise thee e-i-e-i-oooooooo"

8 comments:

Doug Chaplin said...

Somewhere in another cave is a sense of rhythm and metre just waiting to be discovered

Richard said...

Haven't you got a Phd or something you're meant to be working on?

Anonymous said...

Get your Phd or be a songwriter? I think if you want to be taken seriously, you need to be a songwriter. We know they can change the world with their words and deep understanding of what man needs! Go for it Chris...

One of Freedom said...

Don't quit your day job!

jeremy said...

You're a friggin' genious, Chris! (despite what one of freedom says)

(my word verification is hsrsh -- seems like a Hebrew word pining to be pimped with some vowels)

T.B. Vick said...

You have WAAAY too much time on your hands, Chris.

Jim said...

You really are a "genious" Chris. I don't know what that is, but I'm fairly sure you are one! And then some!!!!!

Chris Tilling said...

Thank you Jeremy, glad to see someone righteous in our midsts!

As regards my time and PhD, I bet you've all been humming e-i-e-i-o today, because of this post. Don't deny it!