Variations On a Hymn (That Hymn Thing)

Spoken:
You're about to hear an example
Of how contemporary
Christian music got started
Some people think it's a new thing
But contemporary Christian music
Isn't really new at all
For centuries, Christians have been using
The music of their day
To convey their love of God to other man
In England, some of the early hymn writers
Actually used melodies from bar songs
Like this one:

I once met a girl
And her name was Matilda
She hung like a pear
And she looked like onе too

Spoken:
Now great hymn writers
Likе Charles Wesley and Martin Luther
Would've taken this very melody
And used it to the glory of God
And when they sang it in church
It would've sounded like this:

We praise Thee, O God
Redeemer, Creator
In grateful devotion
Our tribute we bring
We lay it before You
We kneel and adore You
We bless Your great name
Your praises we sing

Spoken:
Now here's our idea
Of what this same hymn
Might've sounded like
If it had been written
And performed in the 1940's

We praise Thee, O God
Our redeemer, Creator
In grateful devotion
Our tribute we bring, ooh-ooh...
We lay it before You
We kneel and adore You
Bless Your great name
Your praises we sing
Your praises we sing

Now sets your toes a-tappin'
For the King that's really happenin'

We praise Thee, O God
Our redeemer, Creator
In grateful devotion
Our tribute we bring
We lay it before You
We kneel and adore You
We bless Your great name
And Your praises we sing

Whoa-whoa...
We lay it before You
We kneel and adore You
Whoa, we bless Your great name
Yes, we bless Your great name
Ooh, we bless Your great name
And Your praises we sing

Now this is what "We praise Thee O God"
Would've sounded like
If it were written somewhere
In the hills of Tennessee

We praise Thee, O God
Our redeemer, Creator
In grateful devotion
Our tribute we bring
We lay it before You
We kneel and adore You
We bless Your great name
And Your praises we sing, oh, yeah

We worship You
God of our fathers
Through so many tempests
Our Guide You have been
When perils o'ertake us
Escape You will make us
And using Your strength
Our battles we win

We praise Thee, O God
Our redeemer, Creator
In grateful devotion
Our tribute we bring
We lay it before You
We kneel and adore You
We bless Your great name
And Your praises we sing
Your praises we sing

If this hymn had been sung
In the beach in the 1960's
I bet it would've sounded like this

Grateful, grateful devotion we bring
(Praise God)
In grateful devotion
Our tribute we bring

We praise Your name
(Grateful, grateful devotion we bring)
It's always the same
(We bless Your name and the praises we sing)
We want a love to all
(Grateful, grateful devotion we bring)
You have it really tall
(We bless Your name and the praises we sing)
Praise God
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh...
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh...

Grateful, grateful devotion we bring
Grateful, grateful devotion
All our tribute we bring
I'm thinking of good vibrations
Grateful, grateful devotion
All our tribute we bring
He's giving me exortations
Grateful, grateful devotion
All our tribute we bring

Spoken:
Music has changed a lot
During the past few hundred years
But Glad sings these same words
Of praise today

We praise Thee, O God
Our redeemer, Creator
In grateful devotion
Our tribute we bring
We lay it before You
We kneel and adore You
We bless Your great name
And Your praises we sing

With voices united
Our praises we offer
And gladly our song
Of true worship we raise
Your strong arm will guide us
Our God is beside us
To Thee, great Redeemer
Forever be praise

Alleluia, forever be praise
(Oh...)
Alleluia

Alleluia, forever be praise
Alleluia, forever be praise
Alleluia, forever be praise
Alleluia, forever be praise
Alleluia, forever be praise