Is there something wrong with changing a word or two in a song if you don’t like them or you think that you have better words for the song. If you thumb through the Baptist Hymnal you will find a lot of hymns have the original word changed. For instance if you look at one of most popular songs of all time How Great Thou Art.(Elvis even recorded this song) there are not one but two words changed in the first verse, first consider all the worlds thy hands have made.The original words were, consider all the works thy hands have made. I don’t know why they would change the word works to worlds my guess would be that whoever decided to change the words was watching Star Trek at the time and they didn’t what to leave out the Klingons. I don’t know if they were including that world that Superman was from since it blew up. This always confused me since I was little what other “worlds” were they talking about? Then if that wasn’t confusing enough they, and by the way the they whom I’m talking about here is the same “they” that Mel Gipson talks about in that movie, change the words I hear the mighty thunder, “they” were not happy with that so “they” changed the words to rolling thunder now I don’t know what the difference is between mighty thunder and rolling thunder is but to hear rolling thunder must had made “them” happy. But the most famous word change in any hymnal is Isaac Watts’ At the Cross. Below is an example of the way it is sang today.
Isaac Watts original words were ; Would he devote that sacred head For a worm such as I? They changed the words a worm to sinners such as I? Why would Isaac Watts use a worm such as I in the first place? What was he thinking? Well he wasn’t thinking instead he was reading his Bible. In the 22nd Psalms King David wrote in verse 6. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. What would Isaac Watts would say to the people who changed his words? Would he say something like “Dude, I got a worm straight out of the Bible and how dare you change my words. Well first off Isaac Watts was born in 1674, that’s right sixteen 74 and I don’t think they called each other dude back then. And second we do know what Isaac Watts thought about people changing words to hymns. I going to copy & paste this from the internet: Even hymn writer Isaac Watts expressed in the Preface to his Hymns and Spiritual Songs,
What is provided for public worship should give to sincere consciences as little vexation and disturbance as possible. . . . Where any unpleasing word is found, he that leads the worship may substitute a better; for (Blessed be God) we are not confined to the words of any Man in our public solemnities. This is Isaac Watts using 1700s talk to say If anyone has a better word to use than go for it change it to a better word because he believed hymns were written to praise God and not to glorify any man that wrote it. This brings us to today’s song I can Only Imagine.
I’m a Southern Baptist and you might figure out that I have a problem with the phase Will I dance for you Jesus? Is Jesus like a Arab sheik who goes into his harem tent and the women dance in front of him? I know what you are saying only a Southern Baptist would think of something like that. But I was raised to believe that dancing is a sin, and when it comes to a woman belly dancing in front of a sheik a lot of people would agree with me. Yes I’ve seen Footloose and Kevin Bacon makes some good points, but I still have a problem with dancing. For some reason Southern Baptist believe its alright to square dance. But still I cannot imagine myself do-si-doing with Jesus. Now if Jesus wants to do-si-do with me I guess I would but I’m not really worried about that right now. Maybe you could do something other than dancing to impress Jesus like you could juggle three chainsaws or something. I’ll bet that Isaac Watts would agree with me that it’s ok to change the words. That’s brings up the question what do replace the word dance with? The words bow and sing is out because he does both of them in the next lines. My suggestion would be instead of Will I dance for you Jesus my words would be Will I lift my hands for you Jesus, this would still go together with the next line Or in awe of you be still. The lifting of hands is a form of praise so I think that would make the song Southern Baptist friendly and add to the praise factor of the song. It’s such a great song and just like Isaac Watts said over 300 years ago the purpose of song is to praise God and not the writer. If you have a better word or phase please make a comment.