Good call. I had not heard it until having dinner with my girlfriend recently, and the restaurant had only two tracks in continuous rotation: winter wonderland (somewhat bearable to hear repeatedly) and this abomination.
Can’t agree with any of the assessment here.
First off, I enjoyed not knowing the name of the song until I got further in and reading it. I kept assuming it was a song I’d never heard, as there are many. But then I was blown away when you said the name. Good writing.
But I don’t agree the song is sexist, and think that must be based on some unintended interpretation that I have trouble understanding. The idea that he’s telling Mary what relationship to have with her kid makes no sense. He’s just wondering if Mary knew everything her Son would do. It’s not even actually spoken to Mary–it’s someone wondering today.
What we know from the Bible is that Mary knows that she will be giving birth to a son, and that he will save their people from his sins. She is not informed that he is God himself or will do miracles. The only line that we know she could say yes to says “This child that you delivered/will soon deliver you.” (It thus is clear she’s already given birth.)
The “superhero” stuff you describe doesn’t hit me that way, either. It’s just citing the things that Jesus did in the gospels, the miracles that are supposed to be the proof that he is who he says he is. And all of it is peaceful, not going to battle as people expected the Messiah to be. And none of it talks about him being authoritarian and controlling people.
I’ve always loved Mark Lowry, the guy who wrote it. He was one of the first stand up comedians I ever heard. He’s also a former fundamentalist and former member of the Gaither Vocal Band, my first exposure to barbershop-style harmony. My mom loved him, and used his kindhearted, joyful video streams to help her deal with the anxiety of her breath being taken away from her in her last days.
He put the joy back in Christianity, without seeming at all fake. He admitted his own faults. And he was not one of those fake Christians who was anti-mask or pro hatred.
Maybe knowing who the writer informed my interpretation, as I know he isn’t sexist, and that he pushes a very positive, anti-depressive message. But I just cannot see the song as what you claim it to be.
And, frankly, I love the way it sounds. Minor doesn’t always mean sad. It can also mean contemplative, which is what he was going for. While I won’t listen to just any version, I love Mark’s original and the one by Voctave (former Disney singers) featuring him.
As a vocal major and a capella and barbershop fan, I don’t like Pentatonix and their overly produced music that makes their voices sound not like actual voices, and basically embracing that whine that Auto-Tune tends to have. I also am not a fan of some Country singer singing it, though I wouldn’t mind if Home Free try it sometime.
But I like it. And I will continue to like it. There are so many worse Christmas songs that are annoying with nothing remotely heartfelt in the delivery, and just bad singing. I’m pretty sure it will make me cry for a long time, thinking of my mom.
I mostly base this on reading Dickens, but I thought the traditional Christmas dinner was goose in England, or the UK as a whole, and that in the US, it morphed to turkey.
Personally, when we lived in Manhattan, we always got Chinese. I think there was actually a kosher Chinese place in the area where there were a lot of Jews, but don’t quote me on that-- I just know my aunt and uncle ate there, and they were pretty strict, also the place had sweet & sour chicken, but apparently not pork. I certainly think a kosher Chinese place could’ve survived in the area where I lived.
Once we moved to Queens, I don’t remember that we ate anything in particular on Christmas. But there were some Jewish-owned stores that would’ve been opened, so we could’ve had anything.
In Indiana, we actually do have to plan ahead, because store are closed from like, 5pm Christmas eve until noon on the 26th. DH talks me into Chinese sometimes, even though there’s no kosher Chinese restaurant around here. I just order the tofu & vegetables, and cross my fingers.
Yeah, probably due to Dickens, I thought the traditional Christmas feast was a roast goose in the UK, second choice a roast beef. Maybe the Germans eat ham? And I’m going to guess that all of those are based on “big hunk o roast meat is good for a feast”. Especially if you need to keep the fire going to heat your dwelling, throwing a roast on it is an efficient way to feed a lot of people.
Now I’m curious, but not wanting to continue hijacking this rant, I’ve created a new thread:
I’m guessing you’re the reason comments are turned off on this link !
TIL.
The Christmas Shoes.
Video with buddy chewing gun a whole lot.
Lip-syncing kid.
Last year I learned a new interpretation of Wonderful Christmastime, which redeems it
To some. Not to everyone.
You have “no gift to give”? Give him the effin’ drum.
I personally hate “Snoopy and the Red Baron Christmas” by the Royal Guardsmen.
A baby is going to appreciate that long before gold, frankincense, or myrrh.
It’s the cymbal of the season.
I agree that Mary Did You Know irritates me to no end, because Scripture is absolutely bar-none clear that Mary did know.
It would be tantamount to asking Albert Einstein if he knew that such a thing called ‘relativity’ existed.
Upvote.
Changes the words to, “There’s fleas on my dog” and it’s a lot more fun to sing.
That’s absurd. Just because some non-Christians celebrate it, that doesn’t somehow negate its history as a Christian holiday, and its continued celebration as such.
It’s like saying that if I (an American) decide to do Dia de Los Muertos celebrations, that it somehow ceases to be a syncretic Mexican-Catholic celebration. Or that if I decide to celebrate Purim (I’m a Christian) that it somehow isn’t a Jewish holiday any longer. Or that the Super Bowl isn’t just a football game, because so many just go to parties and watch the commercials.
Decrying a Christmas song for its Christian religious content is kind of ridiculous; no matter how odious the song itself (I really don’t like that “Did You Know” song, FWIW).
Parents, not so much.
For people to still say this, I have to think they haven’t actually listened to the lyrics (or read my post). The lyrics describe Jesus’ miracles and him actually being God. Mary is never told anything like that.
Mary is told only that her baby will should be called Jesus, be king of Israel forever, that the nation will become great, and that he will be called the son of God. Joseph is explicitly told that the name Jesus means he will save his people from their sins. That’s all they know about their new son.
Other than the one exception I gave in my earlier post, it seems clear to me that the implied answer is that Mary didn’t know. The past tense while knowing about things Jesus would do in the future indicates the speaker is not asking Mary a question, but wondering how Mary would have reacted if she knew all these things.
The readings that assume the speaker is ignorant of the Bible or trying to tell Mary what to do don’t make any sense to me. It has never seemed to me more than a guy reading his Bible and thinking about what Mary actually knew about her new son.