I Hear Richmond's Bells Ringing

[CrossRiver]

I HEAR RICHMOND'S BELLS RINGING

Our land was paradise found
Blessed by God became our home
Then the cold North wind began to blow
Soldiers came blood began to flow

We fought long and hard
And had our enemies on the run
Tide turned and land was torn
We became their spoil and scorn

Once the land was ours to be
Then we were no longer free
We who once controlled the land
Could no longer take a stand

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

In His train Are millions
Saints, Angels, Heaven's armies.
Awesome great and grand display
The Pow'r invincible of Jesus Christ.

Ancient warriors still hold sway
Waiting for the Spirit to make way
Destroying strongholds and castles strong
Avenging our people righting every wrong

Our leader in war admonishes to
Trust in God for deliverance
And give all glory to Him
So our cause will not be ruined

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

In His train Are millions
Saints, Angels, Heaven's armies.
Awesome great and grand display
The Pow'r invincible of Jesus Christ.

O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

In His train Are millions
Saints, Angels, Heaven's armies.
Awesome great and grand display
The Pow'r invincible of Jesus Christ.

 

[DanSBHawk]

Is this an actual period song, or something modern? It doesn't sound right. Like something modern.

 

[CrossRiver]

I HEAR RICHMOND'S BELLS RINGING

Our land was paradise found
Blessed by God became our home
Then the cold North wind began to blow
Soldiers came blood began to flow

We fought long and hard
And had our enemies on the run
Tide turned and land was torn
We became their spoil and scorn

Once the land was ours to be
Then we were no longer free
We who once controlled the land
Could no longer take a stand

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

In His train Are millions
Saints, Angels, Heaven's armies.
Awesome great and grand display
The Pow'r invincible of Jesus Christ.

Ancient warriors still hold sway
Waiting for the Spirit to make way
Destroying strongholds and castles strong
Avenging our people righting every wrong

Our leader in war admonishes to
Trust in God for deliverance
And give all glory to Him
So our cause will not be ruined

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

In His train Are millions
Saints, Angels, Heaven's armies.
Awesome great and grand display
The Pow'r invincible of Jesus Christ.

O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

In His train Are millions
Saints, Angels, Heaven's armies.
Awesome great and grand display
The Pow'r invincible of Jesus Christ.

I put this together today. It is still very rough -- lyrics need some polishing. I am not a musician.

It is about the tragic fall of the American South in their bid for independence and the looking forward to the coming salvation / redemption / restoration by Jesus Christ.

The melody is based on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" with some of their lyrics(modified) used and some lyrics in the chorus were used from song "With the Sound of Trumpets".

The references to the war are vague/general and the only direct reference to the Confederacy is General Stonewall Jackson's warning to the Southern people:

Our leader in war admonishes to
Trust in God for deliverance
And Give all glory to Him
So our cause will not be ruined

This was taken from the following:

"I am afraid that our people are looking to the wrong source for help, and ascribing our successes to those to whom they are not due. If we fail to trust in God, and to give Him all the glory, our cause is ruined. Give to our friends at home due warning on this subject."
-- Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, book: Dabney, Robert Lewis, "Life and Campaigns of Lieut.Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, (Stonewall Jackson)" (1866), pp. 107-108.

The arrangement for "Viva La Vida" was from The Petesens' cover was what I listened to as I put it together.
Viva La Vida - The Petersens (LIVE)

 

[DanSBHawk]

I put this together today. It is still very rough -- lyrics need some polishing. I am not a musician.

It is about the tragic fall of the American South in their bid for independence and the looking forward to the coming salvation / redemption / restoration by Jesus Christ.

I'm certainly not a musician either, or a religious expert, but in my opinion there is something profane about trying to tie the confederate cause in with some religious aspect.

 

[CrossRiver]

I'm certainly not a musician either, or a religious expert, but in my opinion there is something profane about trying to tie the confederate cause in with some religious aspect.

I realize that. You have been taught "well".

I read the Bible daily going from Genesis to Revelation in a several months period and then repeating. I have been doing this for over forty years now and have come across the subject of "slavery" in those scriptures many times and that is why I became very very pro-South. But that is uniquely me. I don't try to force that on others. But if attacked I can defend myself.

 

[DanSBHawk]

I realize that. You have been taught "well".

I read the Bible daily going from Genesis to Revelation in a several months period and then repeating. I have been doing this for over forty years now and have come across the subject of "slavery" in those scriptures many times and that is why I became very very pro-South. But that is uniquely me. I don't try to force that on others. But if attacked I can defend myself.

You're certainly welcome to your own opinion. There is a history of self-described Christians using the Bible to justify slavery.

 

[CrossRiver]

You're certainly welcome to your own opinion. There is a history of self-described Christians using the Bible to justify slavery.

There is also a history of "abolitionists" destroying Southerners as well. Some called jayhawkers I believe. They boast of their "Beechers" Bibles" (very Christian of them) or was that somewhere else. (Keep in mind all through this that slavery was not prohibited in the original Constitution which was on the South's side. Unconstitutional slaughter of slave owners.)

 

[Lubliner]

I'm certainly not a musician either, or a religious expert, but in my opinion there is something profane about trying to tie the confederate cause in with some religious aspect.

It does seem to echo a perplexing lost cause for the south as they realize defeat is at the door. I am southern and actually come from the Richmond area but still see the archaic language of Gospel rendition as a thing of historical accuracy. I do like the song by 'The Band' especially as sung by Joan Baez, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".
Lubliner.

 

[CrossRiver]

It does seem to echo a perplexing lost cause for the south as they realize defeat is at the door. I am southern and actually come from the Richmond area but still see the archaic language of Gospel rendition as a thing of historical accuracy. I do like the song by 'The Band' especially as sung by Joan Baez, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".
Lubliner.

Yes, I think "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is THE (unofficial) song of lament for the South. I also like Johnny Cash's cover of it.

I am definitely NOT a musician so to come up with a song of lament is a very very daunting (if not impossible) task. Especially when you want to end it with something positive for looking ahead into the future.

I like the arrangement (very intense emotional singing of the lyrics) that Peter Paul and Mary did on a ballad about the failed Irish Rebellion of 1798 -- The Rising of the Moon.

Peter Paul & Mary "The Rising of the Moon" (1965)

This version of the ballad ends with a resolve to keep trying for independence which did eventually come to pass when the Irish gained their independence.

Yet thank God while hearts are beating
Each man bears a burning wound
We will follow in their footsteps
At the rising of the moon.
-- Lyrics from ballad "The Rising of the Moon" sung by Peter Paul and Mary

The original version of the ballad (around the 1860s) may not have had that resolve to keep trying in it. I don't know.

"Multiple variants of the lyrics have been published in folk music collections. In the late 19th century, the ballad was also published through the printing of broadsides."
-- Wikipedia: "The Rising of the Moon"

 

[CrossRiver]

johnny cash - the night they drove old dixie down

 

[DanSBHawk]

It does seem to echo a perplexing lost cause for the south as they realize defeat is at the door. I am southern and actually come from the Richmond area but still see the archaic language of Gospel rendition as a thing of historical accuracy. I do like the song by 'The Band' especially as sung by Joan Baez, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".
Lubliner.

I like that song too. But it comes across to me as a sad acceptance of the reality. It doesn't suggest that there is any desire to continue the conflict.

On the other hand, the lyrics in this thread seem to suggest that there is still an ongoing chance for the south to defeat the north, and that God is going to intervene on the side of the south, and that seems profane to me.

 

[CrossRiver]

I like that song too. But it comes across to me as a sad acceptance of the reality. It doesn't suggest that there is any desire to continue the conflict.

On the other hand, the lyrics in this thread seem to suggest that there is still an ongoing chance for the south to defeat the north, and that God is going to intervene on the side of the south, and that seems profane to me.

Please don't attack. Thanks.

 

[CrossRiver]

I HEAR RICHMOND'S BELLS RINGING

Our land was paradise
Blessed by God became our home
Then a North wind began to blow
Soldiers came blood began to flow

We fought so long and hard
And had our enemies on the run
Tide turned and land was torn
Then we became their spoil and scorn

Once the land was ours to be
Then we were no longer free
We who once held the land
Could no longer take a stand

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

Glorious Train of Heaven's Host
Millions of Holy Saints, Angels
Power Invincible of Jesus Christ
To put down kings and rule the world

Ancient warriors still hold sway
Waiting for the Spirit to make way
Destroying strongholds and castles strong
Avenging the oppressed righting every wrong

Leader of old charged us all
Avoid giving undue credit for help
Trust in God give Him all the glory
So we will not ruin our cause

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

Glorious Train of Heaven's Host
Millions of Holy Saints, Angels
Power Invincible of Jesus Christ
To put down kings and rule the world

O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

Glorious Train of Heaven's Host
Millions of Holy Saints, Angels
Power Invincible of Jesus Christ
To put down kings and rule the world

 

[Tanglewood]

My own belief, repeat, just my own belief, is that anyone who uses the Bible to argue that slavery is acceptable, has never read and taken to heart the passages in Matthew 25 recounting what Jesus said about how we treat "the least of these". To me, that is the distillation of true Christianity. If a person enslaved can't be understood as one of the least among us, who in the world can be?

And in more prosaic terms, I bet that no matter the basis of their argument, anyone who argues that slavery is acceptable has never been a slave.

 

[CrossRiver]

Update to the original post above:

I HEAR RICHMOND'S BELLS RINGING

Our land was paradise
Blessed by God became our home
Then a North wind began to blow
Soldiers came blood began to flow

We fought so long and hard
And had our enemies on the run
Tide turned and land was torn
Then we became their spoil and scorn

Once the land was ours to be
Then we were no longer free
We who once held the land
Could no longer take a stand

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

Glorious Train of Heaven's Host
Millions of Holy Saints, Angels
Power Invincible of Jesus Christ
To put down kings and rule the world

Ancient warriors still hold sway
Waiting for the Spirit to make way
Destroying strongholds and castles strong
Avenging the oppressed righting every wrong

Leader of old charged us all
Avoid giving undue credit for help
Trust in God give Him all the glory
So we will not ruin our cause

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

Glorious Train of Heaven's Host
Millions of Holy Saints, Angels
Power Invincible of Jesus Christ
To put down kings and rule the world

O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah
O Hallelujah

I hear Richmond's bells a-ringin'
Holy Angelic choirs a-singin'
Jesus is coming, triumphant is He!
Trumpets sounding in regal majesty

Glorious Train of Heaven's Host
Millions of Holy Saints, Angels
Power Invincible of Jesus Christ
To put down kings and rule the world

 

[CrossRiver]

My own belief, repeat, just my own belief, is that anyone who uses the Bible to argue that slavery is acceptable, has never read and taken to heart the passages in Matthew 25 recounting what Jesus said about how we treat "the least of these". To me, that is the distillation of true Christianity. If a person enslaved can't be understood as one of the least among us, who in the world can be?

And in less prosaic terms, I bet that no matter the basis of their argument, anyone who argues that slavery is acceptable has never been a slave.

I believe that every Christian must become a servant/slave of God and those who receive God's Holy Spirit and retain it until the end of their lives become more that just servants but members in the household of God and will live forever.

Again, my belief.

 

[DanSBHawk]

I believe that every Christian must become a servant/slave of God and those who receive God's Holy Spirit and retain it until the end of their lives become more that just servants but members in the household of God and will live forever.

Again, my belief.

So you'd be fine with being a slave for a human master?

 

[CrossRiver]

So you'd be fine with being a slave for a human master?

I could respond but I don't think you really care what I say.

I would like to stay focused on something I know very little about if that's possible. Trust in God and give Him all the glory because I have none.

 

[Lubliner]

I really believe the moral of the story is Egyptian slavery of the Jews ended in destruction of the Egyptians. Same with the Babylonian exile in about 600-500 B. C., and the Southern enslavement of the Negro race also ended in the destruction of southern society. But on a positive note, I never thought of attaining the separation of the States now that the curse of slavery was forsaken. That is an interesting proposition in your ballad.
Lubliner.

 

[CrossRiver]

I really believe the moral of the story is Egyptian slavery of the Jews ended in destruction of the Egyptians. Same with the Babylonian exile in about 600-500 B. C., and the Southern enslavement of the Negro race also ended in the destruction of southern society. But on a positive note, I never thought of attaining the separation of the States now that the curse of slavery was forsaken. That is an interesting proposition in your ballad.
Lubliner.

I disagree on the slavery issue. But I don't really want to go through the Scriptures and show what really happened about the Egyptian slavery. But if you read it God did not force abolition on Egypt but rather He took away Egypt's Hebrew slaves and made them His servants/slaves The real kicker what stands out to me is that after coming out of Egypt the Word who was the Spokesman of God (who later came in the flesh as Jesus Christ) told Moses that Israel could have slaves from the heathen around them and these slaves could be passed on down as inheritance to their children. So abolition was not in play with Egypt. God merely took the Hebrew slaves away from Egypt and made them His servants/slaves. I know most will disagree but that's okay. This abolition thing has been beaten into everyone's brain. Who am I to dare to stand against the world.