Solomon and Sinatra: The Song of Songs and Romance in the Church Robert Case A Sunday School Class Faith Presbyterian Church Tacoma, Washington 2016 Part 7 Turning to an allegory from the American Songbook, I have two selections: “Ghost Riders in the Sky” "Ghost Riders in the Sky" is an allegorical song written in 1948 by the prolific Stan Jones. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as the top western song of all time! Those of us from Ellensburg love this song. The song tells the allegorical folk tale of a lone cowboy who has a vision of “red-eyed, steel-hooved” cattle thundering across the sky, being chased by the spirits of Hell-bound cowboys. One cowboy warns our loner, like Dives in Luke 16:27, that “if he does not change his ways today,” he will be doomed to join them, forever "trying to catch the Devil's herd across these endless skies". The song lyrics also have a faint echo of Deuteronomy 33:26, “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty.” I Kings 8:47, “if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried”; “Psalm 68:33, “to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.” and Psalm 7:12, “If he does not turn, [God] will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.” Mr. Jones also wrote the music for the popular John Wayne western films The Horse Soldiers, The Searchers, Rio Grande and the television series Cheyenne, starring the Christian actor, Clint Walker. The 1949 version of “Ghost Riders” by active churchman and very popular baritone, Vaughn Monroe and His Band first appeared on the Billboard charts, lasting 22 weeks and reaching #1. Billboard ranked the song as the #1 song in America for 1949. “An old cowpoke went riding out one dark and windy day Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw A'plowin' through the ragged skies and up a cloudy draw Yi-pi-yi-ay, Yi-pi-yi-o Ghost herd in the sky Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel Their horns wuz black and shiny and their hot breaths he could feel A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky For he saw the riders comin' hard and he heard their mournful cry Yi-pi-yi-ay, Yi-pi-yi-o Ghost riders in the sky Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred, their shirts all soaked with sweat They're ridin' hard to catch that herd but they ain't caught them yet They've got to ride forever in that range up in the sky On horses snortin' flame an' fire, as they ride on, hear them cry Yi-pi-yi-ay, Yi-pi-yi-o Ghost riders in the sky As the riders loped on by him, he heard one call his name "If you want to save your soul from hell a' ridin' on our range. Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride a-tryin' to catch the Devil's herd across these endless skies." Yi-pi-yi-ay, Yi-pi-yi-o Ghost riders in the sky Ghost riders in the sky.” (“Ghost Riders in the Sky” performed by Vaughn Monroe)(2:55) https://www.amazon.com/Ghost- Riders-In-The-Sky/dp/B003VCY7OO/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1474672367&sr=1- 1&keywords=ghost+riders+in+the+sky+vaughn+monroe You might recognize Mr. Monroe’s unique voice as the voice of “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow,” a song popular in Bruce Willis’ movies as well as many other number one hits in the 40s and 50s (eg, “There, I’ve Said it Again,” “Ballerina”). Can you image the most popular song in America in 2016 telling us to turn or burn? “This Ole House” One of the most famous allegorical songs in the American Songbook was written in l951 by evangelical composer/actor, Stuart Hamblin called, “This Ole House.” The song evolved into an analogy for the Christian life as one gets older (cf, Ecclesiastes 12), looking forward to the physical resurrection into heaven (“getting ready to meet the saints”). But the song began as a folk tale when Hamblin and fellow cowboy actor John Wayne were on a hunting trip in the Sierra Mountains of California and stumbled upon a ramshackle cabin with a dead man and a live dog in it. A young Roman Catholic, Rosemary Clooney, recorded the song with Buddy Cole’s orchestra in l954 and it became a Billboard #1 hit – the most popular song in America. This song is like a song selection from the Old Testament Church songbook which used common objects to illustrate the gospel. For instance, in Isaiah 5(1), the great prophet used “The Song of the Vineyard” to preach the good news. “I will sing for the one I love, a song about his vineyard; my loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.” Isaiah assumes the role of a musician in order to reach the heart and conscience of some of the chosen people, who by now had become impervious to the power of his preaching. Mr. Hamblin wanted to do the same thing with his song and he uses the metaphor of a crumbling house to do his preaching. Clooney hit recording features basso profundo singer Thurl Ravenscroft who was the voice of Tony the Tiger (“They’re Great”) in Kellogg’s Frosted Flake commercials and sang “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” in the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Mr. Ravenscroft is buried in the Chrystal Cathedral memorial gardens in Anaheim. “This ole house once knew my children This ole house once knew my wife This ole house was home and comfort As we fought the storms of life This ole house once rang with laughter This ole house heard many shouts Now she trembles in the darkness When the lightnin' walks about Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer Ain't a-gonna need this house no more Ain't got time to fix the shingles Ain't got time to fix the floor Ain't got time to oil the hinges Nor to mend no window pane Ain't gonna need this house no longer I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints This ole house is a-gettin' shaky This ole house is a-gettin' old This ole house lets in the rain This ole house lets in the cold On my knees I'm gettin' chilly But I feel no fear or pain 'Cause I see an angel peekin' Through a broken window pane Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer Ain't a-gonna need this house no more Ain't got time to fix the shingles Ain't got time to fix the floor Ain't got time to oil the hinges Nor to mend no window pane Ain't gonna need this house no longer I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints Now this ole house is afraid of thunder This ole house is afraid of storms This ole house just groans and trembles When the night wind flings its arms This ole house is a-gettin' feeble This ole house is a-needin' paint Just like me it's tuckered out But I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer Ain't a-gonna need this house no more Ain't got time to fix the shingles Ain't got time to fix the floor Ain't got time to oil the hinges Nor to mend no window pane Ain't gonna need this house no longer I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints know I'm gonna leave Else he'd wake up by the fire place And he'd sit down, howl and grieve But my huntin' days are over Ain't gonna hunt the coon no more Gabriel done brought in my chariot When the wind blew down the door Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer Ain't a-gonna need this house no more Ain't got time to fix the shingles Ain't got time to fix the floor Ain't got time to oil the hinges Nor to mend no window pane Ain't gonna need this house no longer I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints.” (“This Ole House” performed by Rosemary Clooney)(2:23) https://www.amazon.com/This-Ole- House/dp/B013THGLDA/ref=sr_1_7?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1474672589&sr=1- 7&keywords=this+ole+house+rosemary+clooney “The House I Live In” The song, “The House I Live In,” originally appeared on Broadway in the musical revue, Let Freedom Sing, in war year 1942 and was written by Earl Robinson. The lyrics were written in 1943 by Abel Meeropol. The song was the title song of a 1946 ten-minute short film of the same name starring Frank Sinatra. Made to oppose anti-Semitism at the end of World War II, the film received an Honorary Academy Award and a special Golden Globe award in 1946. In 2007, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".