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Hymns Didn’t Come from Drinking Songs: Putting an End to the Myth

Hymns Didn’t Come from Drinking Songs: Putting an End to the Myth

Last updated on: July 28, 2017 at 9:10 am by Jonathan Aigner

Hymns Didn’t Come from Drinking Songs: Putting an End to the Myth 2017-07-28T09:10:43-05:00 Jonathan Aigner

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No, the melodies of our beloved hymns weren’t borrowed from drinking songs, bar tunes, and tavern music. I’ve had about ten comments on my blog posts this week alone trying to use the bar song myth as their smoking gun in the case for commercial worship. It’s an argument many love to make, but it didn’t happen.

Those most often implicated in this myth are Martin Luther and the Wesleys. Luther did use German Bar form, a musical style in an AAB pattern having nothing to do with the suds. There is no indication John John and Charlie ever suggested such a thing, and knowing their position on imbibing and the importance placed on proper text/tune pairing, it’s unlikely the would have even considered the idea. Tunes were occasionally borrowed from existing folk songs, but they weren’t simply extracted from whatever people were singing at the local watering hole and paired with jesusy poetry. And even if they were, it was not, as commercial worship apologists are wont to say, in an effort to borrow from culture for the purpose of evangelism or getting butts on the stools…er…in the pews.

This rumor has been thoroughly debunked by both scholars and laypeople. So why do people still believe it? I’m not entirely sure, but it seems like the “Grassy Knoll” theory of Christian hymnody. There’s no evidence for it, but dang it, it’s just more interesting than the truth.

Irresponsible? Yes, absolutely.

Difficult to suppress? You bet.

This is why I’ve decided to take to Twitter with a more active and annoying approach. I searched for tweets containing “hymns,” “drinking songs,” and “bar songs,” and left some drive-by education for those who perpetuate this dumb myth. The results are…interesting, to say the least.

This guy seemed relieved to know the truth, actually!

That’s not true. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

I may be a troll, but I’m a helpful troll.

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

Better late than never.

That isn’t true, actually. It’s a common argument, but it’s been debunked many times. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

It was worth the wait!

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

It’s a global effort, mate.

That’s not true at all, actually. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

Lol, I might have been looking for another tweet. And then began trolling. Wesley didn’t do it, either. I linked to an article about that.

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

Thanks mate

— KurtDaHurt (@Kurt_Da_Hurt) July 24, 2017

A troll’s gonna…troll…

That isn’t true actually. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

Lol no problem. Also responded to one from 2010 so I’m clearly not ashamed.

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

This was my favorite exchange. Especially when the troll-er got troll-ed.

Yeah, that’s actually not true. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

That is
By far
Not the oldest
Tweet I’ve responded to
Today

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

It was not easy.

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

I have a few redeeming qualities.

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

Yeah. I tried to start an uprising, but it hasn’t gone very far. A shame really.

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

Hello, other random person

Ok that’s just insane, I have trouble finding my own tweets from two months ago

— The Laughing Cynic (@ntentionlnachos) July 24, 2017

Haha, I figured I’d check out what this random stranger sending me links was doing…and…he’s just trolling for hymn tweets.

— John Einselen (@Iaian7) July 24, 2017

Haha. I guess in terms of Twitter drama this is pretty tame? I hate trolls, but did at least research the topic. #learning

— John Einselen (@Iaian7) July 24, 2017

Note who else was included in this thread. It’s 90s CCM minor player, Bryan Duncan, ladies and gentlemen:

No. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

Send your jigsaw puzzles to: Chris Tomlin 1 Commercial Worship Drive Atlanta…or Nashville or Something

No. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

And this one is from nearly four years ago. What’s your address? I’d like to send you a jigsaw puzzle.

— kristen g ™ ❄️ (@nomadpdx) July 24, 2017

I make the whole world sing the truth.

No, that isn’t true. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

I am music, and I write the songs.

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

At least he was honest.

No. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

Okay, then…

That’s not true. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

Believe it or not, this was not the oldest conversation I’ve replied to in the past 24 hours. Heck, the past 12 hours, even…

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

A blogger is helpful, loyal, thrifty, persistent, honest, and helpful.

No. https://t.co/H8pPOV67cg

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

We’re here to serve!

— Ponder Anew (@Ponder_Anew) July 24, 2017

That’s enough for today. After a long evening of mythbusting, I managed to convince a few people, and have a few humorous exchanges. Help me out, will you? Okay, maybe trolling through a decade of tweets isn’t the most effective way. But when you hear your pastor (sigh!), music director, worship leader, music teacher, professor at your unaccredited “university,” parent, sibling, grandparent, or random internet troll say that Martin Luther used the tune from “Roll Out the Barrel,” take a minute to set them straight.

It’s a poor argument, and a lousy excuse for using any disposable ditty available to entertain people in Jesus’ trademarked name.

Photo:
Flickr, creative commons 2.0

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