I’m in the Lord’s Army
As a follow up to my last post on the theological messages we send children, I wanted to post the lyrics to a common children’s church song. I recently stumbled upon the fact that there are actually two versions of the song – representing wildly divergent theological positions. So which version are you familiar with?
I may never march in the infantry, Ride in the cavalry, Shoot the artillery.
I may never fly o’er the enemy, But I’m in the Lord’s army. (yes, sir!)
or
I will never march in the infantry, Ride in the cavalry, Shoot the artillery.
I will never fly o’er the enemy, For I’m in the Lord’s army. (yes, sir!)
I grew up singing the first version, complete with motions involving us pretending to shoot each other. In fact this was one of my favorite songs as a child. In my strictly non-charismatic church motions with songs were the only opportunity to be physically involved in worship. Plus it was just fun. I had no idea the more pacifistic version existed until recently. From what I’ve read the pacifist lyrics may even be the original lyrics. Which version one is familiar with seems to depend on one’s denomination background and, interestingly, on which side of the Atlantic one resides. Apparently, the pacifistic version is much more popular in England than America. At least this implies that some churches do occasionally think about the messages we send to children…
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at least you knew it was cavalry instead of calvary – unlike a lot of other adults I know….
oh – I grew up with the same version as you.
Interesting – I never knew there was a pacifist version.
wow, I never knew that either – definitely the first one for me
Definitely the first one.
And I’m getting chills just thinking that someone might have altered the latter for the former. That’s really scary.
The first one, which may explain that pervasive sense of inferiority to uniformed military personnel. Yes Sir!
The first one is the only one I ever heard. I’d be really surprised if that isn’t the version that came first, with the pacifist lyrics being a later version. But maybe I’m wrong.
definitely takes me back the VBS days. i can’t tell you how many times the first version was pounded into my headed growing up. i totally didn’t know there was another version. that’s awesome!
karl – with stuff like this it is hard to tell. People who know one version have rarely heard of the other, so tracing exactly which came first is hard. I read a few claims saying the Pacifist one is older, but there is no hard evidence either way.
Why? It honestly seems more likely to me the other way around. Somehow I don’t really see pacifist Christians being all that keen to adopt and tweak a militaristic song.
Mike, regardless of whether the pacifist tradition is more faithful to the message of Jesus (and thus older), I think the “just war” tradition has been dominant in Christian thinking, poetry and hymnody, both east and west, for a lot longer than that hymn has been around. I just think the odds favor the first version mentioned above being the original.
There is some logic in what you type, but I’m not sure a non-pacifist Christian would be any more likely to adopt and tweak a pacifist song, than the other way around. In fact to me, co-opting the song with modified lyrics DOES sound like the sort of thing some pacifist Christians with whom I am acquainted would do.
Interesting and helpful post. I’d forgotten about this song.
Both!!! From recollection, they were interchangeable. Now I’m really mixed up!
Definitely and only the first version, even on cassette sung by Gerbert and Courtenay at our house… 100% conservative upbringing for me.
You know, though, I don’t think I’m that much more comfortable with the second version. I certainly woudn’t encourage my kids to associate the idea of God with an army.
I’m in New Zealand, and grew up in a very pentecostal church. I remember this being a very popular song at “children’s church”- and definately the first version complete with actions and other somewhat less disturbing verses (I may never fly like a Rocket Ace/ Lasso a Buffalo/ work for the FBI). Songs like this now make me quite uncomfortable and often reluctant to take my daughter to church.
Mel – I’m with you there. While I understand the historic use of the metaphor in the social justice scene (think Salvation Army), it doesn’t sit well with me these days.
My 3 y/o innocently sings “shoot at the enemy!”
My long-ago version was different yet…and with less of a religious overtone. It was “I don’t want to ride…)etc. – instead of either of the alternative offered above – and ended with “I want to be friendly” instead of being in the Lord’s army. I “action” that went along with being friendly was shaking another person’s hand – or, if no one available, shaking hands with oneself. Also, we sang “I don’t want to fly over Germany” for the forth “don’t want to”. Learned it as a child (where?) during WWII.