In Praise of a Ditty

Nov 14

In Praise of a Ditty

ditty: a short, simple song

Guess what the most sung song in the world is… I bet you know it. It’s a little ditty by the name of Happy Birthday to You. According to the Guinness World Records in 1998, it was the most recognized song in the English language, followed by For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow. According to Wikipedia, it has been translated into at least 18 languages.

Throughout the centuries, the many cultures of man have always had short, simple songs. I would say that ditties are primal. They’re deeply tied to how human beings are wired. Children sing ditties like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star when they go to bed. They instinctively make up songs on the playground like My Dog’s Bigger than Your Dog. They learn their ABC’s by way of a ditty.

Songwriters, worship leaders, worshipers, don’t look down on ditties. Until you can come up with a song that is more embedded in the hearts of humanity than Happy Birthday to You, walk humbly, even if your latest song has made it into CCLI’s top 100.

Songs for the Street

Ditties were part of the worship life of Israel. In public worship, liturgical choirs sang lengthy, complex songs like the acrostic Psalm 119, the lyrics of which make up the longest chapter in the Bible. But on the street, they sang a ditty: Saul has slain his thousands, but David, his tens of thousands. (Saul didn’t particularly like that one.)

Ditties are easy to remember and hard to forget. These “songs for the street” are what you might call portable. You can take them with you. They spontaneously bubble up when you’re in a prayer meeting, a small group or on a walk… or even in a “pause-and-consider” moment (a selah) in a larger worship gathering.

In the ’60’s, I was a music composition major when I became a Christian. Complex harmonies and rhythms were the thing. In contrast, I began hearing very simple songs in Bible studies and fellowship meetings, and saw the profound effects in the people who sang them. These worshipers seemed to transcend out of self-consciousness into God’s glory as they sang songs like Alleluia, He is Lord, and Father I Adore You. They were more than music; they were doorways into the phenomenon of God’s presence.

Today, I find myself wishing that ditties were more a part of our worship experience - not necessarily those particular songs, but songs like them. I do love what happens when a talented band and worship team lead hundreds of us in the congregation in singing the bigger songs - songs that couldn’t be done without projected words and skillful musicians to lead us. The bigger songs almost always follow the particular arrangement of the original artist that introduced the song.

Ditties, on the other hand, pair well with acapella singing. Rarely does anyone have any idea who first sang the song. The arrangement is not what carries the song, but the basic song itself.

There’s a bit of a tension between the pop side of worship music and the folk side. Ditties are on the folk side. Worship songs in the ’70’s and ’80’s were strongly folk. Pop has predominated since. I’d vote for the pendulum to swing back to, at least, make more room for those simple, portable songs.

I’m certainly not suggesting that the only thing we sing is ditties. Mais non! God loves diversity. Sing the thought-provoking hymns; sing the emotive choruses; and sing the improvisational spiritual songs. But don’t neglect the ditties. You’ll find them tucked away between the choruses and the spiritual songs on the spectrum of worship songs.

Songwriters, try writing songs you can do without a band. Worship leaders, find some simple, heart-felt songs that can help you in those thoughtful pauses during singing. Sing them acapella. Watch the focus move from the leaders on the stage to the people.

I think those you lead may taste something special they’ve not tasted in a while.

In Praise of a Ditty

In Praise of a Ditty

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