By the Waters of Babylon

American Pie ^ | March 14, 1971 | Phillip Hayes

[CharlesOConnell]

By the Waters of Babylon (Round)
Based on a canon by Philip Hayes,
arranged by Don McLean (American Pie),
and Lee Hays (The Weavers),
Psalm 137 (539 BC)

youtube.com/watch?v=uTnspbSjKVc

By the Waters of Babylon
We Lay Down and Wept, and Wept, for Thee Zion
We Remember Thee, Remember Thee, Remember Thee Zion

[CharlesOConnell]

The Psalms

137

The Mourning of the Exiles in Babylon
1 By the rivers of Babylon,
there we sat down, yea, we wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song;
and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying,
Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee,
let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth;
if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom
in the day of Jerusalem;
who said, Rase it, rase it,
even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed;
happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth
thy little ones against the stones.
 
Published by The American Bible Society

[Phinneous]

Love that last verse.

[Albion Wilde]

Thank you so much for posting this. Our Community Bible Study class is doing "Return to Jerusalem" this year, studying the Babylonian exile of the Jews from their land, and God's promises to restore them to their land if they would only be obedient to His Word. Applies 100% to our current situation.

[Albion Wilde]

Ping! I’ve noticed your deep interest in music. Today I’ve been rediscovering an unique American voice through this thread. Although Don McLean leans left, some of his lyrics don’t. I just spent nearly an hour listening and re-listening to this song, thanks to this post by CharlesOConnell, and am preparing it for two of my Bible classes.