Go Tell it on the Mountain and other hymns announced

[Nofear]

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/music/songs/go-tell-it-on-the-mountain?crumbs=hymns-for-home-and-church&lang=eng

Go Tell it on the Mountain is one of the songs that makes my Christmas playlist every year.

My first thought with the song "Can You Count the Stars in Heaven?" was, with the naked eye, yes, yes you can. Though the question isn't well posed. One night, over the course of a year, from every where on earth? If the latter two conditions are met than we are looking at 9,110 stars (http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/catalogs/bsc5.html). Not the point of the children's hymn of course.  

 

 

[Tacenda]

How exciting, I'll never forget my experience when my stake invited the Baptist Choir in SLC, UT during the Christmas season and we combined our ward choirs with them. We were given permission to clap and when that song came up there were the LDS stake leaders swaying and clapping and singing on the stand, that was a first. I tell ya, I did feel a strong spirit while participating that evening and singing that song that the Baptist Choir had us sing a long with them. 

Now the problem as I've watched, the songs that have been added already, such as "Amazing Grace", aren't really being sung in Sacrament Meetings is it? I get the ward program every week on my email, and look for it every time. I would just love to sit in Sacrament and actually be a witness to these songs. And now, "Go Tell It On The Mountain"!  That would be awesome! 

Has anyone sung these songs much in Sacrament Meetings? 

I'd love to know.

[bluebell]

19 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

How exciting, I'll never forget my experience when my stake invited the Baptist Choir in SLC, UT during the Christmas season and we combined our ward choirs with them. We were given permission to clap and when that song came up there were the LDS stake leaders swaying and clapping and singing on the stand, that was a first. I tell ya, I did feel a strong spirit while participating that evening and singing that song that the Baptist Choir had us sing a long with them. 

Now the problem as I've watched, the songs that have been added already, such as "Amazing Grace", aren't really being sung in Sacrament Meetings is it? I get the ward program every week on my email, and look for it every time. I would just love to sit in Sacrament and actually be a witness to these songs. And now, "Go Tell It On The Mountain"!  That would be awesome! 

Has anyone sung these songs much in Sacrament Meetings? 

I'd love to know.

We sing at least one new song (sometimes all new songs) every sunday, but because there are so many now, we don't sing Amazing Grace very often at all.  I think I've sung it once or twice since it was added.  I'd love to sing it more!

[Tony uk]

Amazing Grace is one of my all time favourites, and when sung well, it sounds fantastic. 

[Stargazer]

7 hours ago, Nofear said:

My first thought with the song "Can You Count the Stars in Heaven?" was, with the naked eye, yes, yes you can. Though the question isn't well posed. One night, over the course of a year, from every where on earth? If the latter two conditions are met than we are looking at 9,110 stars (http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/catalogs/bsc5.html).

Well, we're spoiled for choice...

Some astronomers estimate that there are around 200 billion trillion or 200 sextillion stars in our universe. But this number is just an estimation, and there is a lot of debate surrounding the term universe and how many stars are present in it. But, as you say, we can't see any more than about 9,000.

If you could count one star per second, it would take you much longer than the current age of the universe to count them all. And then you'd still be counting, because new stars constantly come into being. Pack a lunch. A lot of lunches!  

[Stargazer]

I am afraid that I have to say that I don't like some of these new hymns.   I'll get over it, don't worry.

One of my sisters-in-law and her friend actually submitted a brand-new hymn for consideration. They still don't know if it's been accepted.

[Kenngo1969]

15 hours ago, Stargazer said:

Well, we're spoiled for choice...

Some astronomers estimate that there are around 200 billion trillion or 200 sextillion stars in our universe. But this number is just an estimation, and there is a lot of debate surrounding the term universe and how many stars are present in it. But, as you say, we can't see any more than about 9,000.

If you could count one star per second, it would take you much longer than the current age of the universe to count them all. And then you'd still be counting, because new stars constantly come into being. Pack a lunch. A lot of lunches!  

"Worlds without number," indeed (see Moses 1:33)!   

[ZealouslyStriving]

I was like "Stand by Me"?! But then I went and looked it up, it's nice really.

[Nofear]

On 9/19/2025 at 3:51 PM, Stargazer said:

I am afraid that I have to say that I don't like some of these new hymns.   I'll get over it, don't worry.

To be fair, there's plenty of those in the current hymnbook.

[Stargazer]

20 hours ago, Nofear said:

To be fair, there's plenty of those in the current hymnbook.

I'm curious about which ones in the current hymnbook you don't like!

I wondered for myself about that, and the first (and only) one that came to mind was "Who's On The Lord's Side." The lyrics might be OK, but the tune is ridiculous. Mainly because it sounds like a parody of a sailor's song.

AND THAT'S BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT IS! It was written by Henry Russell, and the original tune was called "A Life on the Ocean Wave." If this hymn with this tune makes its way into the new hymnbook, I will personally go through every new hymnbook in the building and carefully cut it out of every book, regardless of what is on the other side of the leaf. <- No, I won't, but I would certainly feel like doing it...

 

[Nofear]

1 hour ago, Stargazer said:

I'm curious about which ones in the current hymnbook you don't like!

I wondered for myself about that, and the first (and only) one that came to mind was "Who's On The Lord's Side." The lyrics might be OK, but the tune is ridiculous. Mainly because it sounds like a parody of a sailor's song.

Steve Soelberg will feel very vindicated if he knew!

As for which one's I don't like, none specifically come to my mind. There's just several hymns that are more maudlin or droll to me than reverent. I bet there is a top 75 songs that every ward sings with another 25 or so variation (different by region to region) and the rest are mostly ignored.

[Calm]

7 hours ago, Nofear said:

bet there is a top 75 songs that every ward sings with another 25 or so variation (different by region to region) and the rest are mostly ignored.

Not my ward, we start at the beginning and work our way through the Hymnbook unless there are special requests.  Makes it very easy for the bulletin person.

[bluebell]

54 minutes ago, Calm said:

Not my ward, we start at the beginning and work our way through the Hymnbook unless there are special requests.  Makes it very easy for the bulletin person.

In my old ward we did that with the sacrament hymns, but none of the other hymns.