Hobgoblin Nor Foul Fiend Shall Daunt His Spirit

[poliphilo]

Ailz likes singing novelty songs from the 1950s and I like singing hymns and neither of us can hold a tune-  so we have a rule that we're only allowed to sing on Sundays- which neither of us keeps. This morning- even though it's not a Sunday- I was testing to see if I could remember all the words of To Be a Pilgrim- and apparently I can. I sang most of it out of doors- on my way to and from the compost heap- so I was able to complete all three verses before Ailz told me to shut up.

You can sing it at my funeral if you like- only I'd prefer it if you used Bunyan's original words and not the Victorian milksop version by Percy Dearmer which leaves out the hobgoblins.

Comments

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

To Be A Pilgrim was my prep school's chosen school hymn, so I expect I'll remember it for the rest of my life!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's just about the liveliest hymn I know.

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

I like to sing at work - before 11am when the museum opens for visitors... Singing in an empty art museum is just amazing, because the acoustics are so forgiving. Get one note right and it will meander through the galleries and linger on, camouflaging any following flaws...

It's almost as good as being alone in a vaulted church.


(Okay, so I muddled up the lyrics; it's been 18 years since I was in a church choir!)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's lovely. I wish I had a voice.

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

Everybody has a voice; it's all about practice. And about daring to belch out a tune... (It's much easier to sound good if you sing loudly than if you sing at a more subtle sound-level where every mistake is noticed.)

My voice isn't very good these days, though; I don't sing very much, except to myself and the kitten. But the video is from back in February when I found myself alone in a church while sightseeing, and the temptation of the vaulted space was just too much...