Secular Come Write Me Down

Subject: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: GUEST,Alan
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 06:00 PM

I've been asked to sing a non-religious song for my nephew's wedding, and decided to sing "Come Write me Down" because it seemed to fit the bill.
I was asked to submit the words to the registrar so she could check them to ensure that it was not a religious song. I did this thinking that there couldn't possibly any objection, and was astonished that she said that whilst the song was generally acceptable, I would have to change the first two lines and also the line "So to Church they Went" as these have religious connotations.
So I would be grateful if anyone could advise me of any traditional versions that provide alternatives to the offending lines. Failing this I would welcome suggestions of how best to change it.

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 06:09 PM

Come write me down in the DT seems to fit the bill.

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 06:18 PM

It can also be found on the Bodleian Ballads website. Under BROWSE ther, search for 'second thought'.

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 06:21 PM

I doubt if the verses in question have traditional variants which don't include a church; that's where people got married, and it seems rather silly to object (I speak here as an atheist). "Powers above" is a bit more problematic, I suppose.

Is this a normal civil ceremony in a Registrar's office? They probably don't understand about traditional music. For what it's worth, here is a broadside text which refers instead to "powers of love" (rather spoiling the rhyme), although they do still look down; and which doesn't mention a church -or marriage, for that matter. It looks like a poor text taken from oral tradition, on the face of it.

A new song called The true lovers

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 06:24 PM

Good point; Second Thought tends to leave out the church, but those pesky powers above are still there...

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 06:35 PM

Change ye powers above to ye registrar? Ye civil splicer? Ye justice of the peace? The objections seem nonsensical to me.

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 06:36 PM

Here's the DT version.

Seems a rather peculiar arrangement here - asking a register officer to adjudicate as to whether a song is suitable or not. Nothing to do with her, I'd have thought. Isn't that normally the kind of thing that the bride and groom decide for themselves? If they can't agree on something like that it doesn't bode too well for the marriage.

If it must be changed, the last verse would be no problem -

"So together they went the very next day
And were married by asking, as I've heard say"

I can't see why the first verse would need any changing - "the man who first created love" sounds pretty open to a secularist meaning.

If "powers above" are the problem, how about:

"Come write me down, all power above,
The man who first created love...,

Which I'd say somewhat turns it on its head.

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From:
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 06:38 PM

Come Write me Down 2
Come Write me Down 2

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 07:44 PM

The second DT entry is a modern parody, of course, and probably unsuitable. There is a bit more background in this thread:

DTStudy: Come Write Me Down

Registrar office ceremonies have to be secular, I think, but I'm also sure that such things are open to a degree of interpretation. As I suggested, probably the person in question doesn't understand how traditional song works and is imposing an inappropriate, subjective judgement. Have her look at some of the broadside copies at the Bodleian; I doubt if the song is to be found in any collection of religious pieces!

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 18 Aug 03 - 08:20 PM

Well, there' always "Mairi's Wedding". No powers, no church, fine song.

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: GUEST,Alan
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 05:17 AM

I agree that the registrar doesn't understand how traditional song works, and I'm not sure that she'd be interested in trying to understand it. I'm sure she thinks it's more than her jobs worth to let anything slip through.
Thanks for all the suggestions; I paricularly like
"So together they went the very next day
And were married by asking, as I've heard say"
It's much better than my
"So to the pub they went the very next day
And stayed all night as I've heard say"
It's as well that the registrar doesn't realise that there might be religious connotations in "married by asking".
I'm still struggling with finding a decent replacement for the first two lines; I'm sure that she finds "the man that first created love" particularly offensive.

Alan

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 05:46 AM

It surely doesn't matter if she finds it offensive if teh couple like it?

I've heard religious hymns in registry office weddings - a registry office wedding isn't an expression of secularism (or is it feminism in this case, on the erroneous, it's a civil ratification of a union, which can well be used as an accompaniment to a religious ceremony which takes places at another place and time.

If this jackbooted official needs to be placated you could give her the words:

"Come write me down the power of love
That joins together hand in glove"

Then maybe sing the original anyway, or whatever words the could prefer...What's the registrar going to do anyway?

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: Hrothgar
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 06:00 AM

Are these people just as screwy as the religious bigots, in the reverse direction?

Subject: RE: Secular Come Write Me Down
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 Aug 03 - 06:36 AM

This sort of problem has been talked about in other threads on the subject of song circles/singing groups: frequently anti-religious bigots infiltate such groups and start demanding that songs are bowdlerised or removed from the repertoire if they contain relgious references.And of course the opposite process can happen, when praise-singing types turn up and start vigorous missionary activities.
   Personally, I find the concept of this sort of rewriting offensive (though I,like everyone else, adjust the words of folk-songs all the time for my own purposes, I must admit).It's the motivation in this sort of case I find unpleasant. If someone doesnt want "Come write me down", don't do it, I'd say. Don't go re-writing it. It's a gem.
    My partner Kate came up against this recently. She's involved in a woman's choir, and was asked to contribute some new material. She taught them Joseph Spence's "I bid you goodnight"...which unfortunately contains the phrase "I love you but, Jesus loves you best". This cause one singer to have a serious wobbler, which obviously gives the whole group problems with the song. This is possibly why so many of these groups like singing songs in Bulgarian or Ndebele or whatever: nobody spots the unfortunate references to theological matters, as they can't understand the words!