Matching the Mood to the Meaning

One reason some people don’t like drums and electric guitars at church is that it doesn’t match the “reverence” they’re looking for when singing about the holiness of God.

Whether or not you agree, there’s a universal lesson to be learned here.

Try singing Amazing Grace to the tune of the Gilligan’s Island theme song.

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip,
That started from this tropic port,
Aboard this tiny ship.”

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”

It almost hurts your soul, doesn’t it? To take those beautiful lyrics and place them within that sea shanty?

This is an extreme case. But, it’s a great lesson when writing to make sure the mood matches the meaning.