Here’s a songwriter whose lyrics haven’t been heard on the pop charts for a few years: King David.
The Good Players are a Chattanooga, TN-based band (they call themselves an “art and music collective”). Most of their songs are straightforward pop-rock songs. But, for the soundtrack to Awake My Soul, a new documentary about the sacred harp style of gospel singing, the Good Players were asked to select and record a 200-year-old song. They selected “David’s Lamentation,” a 1778 song by William Billings, with lyrics taken from the Book of Samuel (II, 18:33):
“David the king was grieved and moved
He went to his chamber, and wept;
And as he went he wept, and said,
‘Oh my son! Would to God I had died
For thee, Oh Absalom, my son.'”
The verses are prime emotional drama, and not in the sense of asking out a girl. David’s son Absalom planned a coup to seize control of Israel, slept with his father’s concubines, and then got his hair caught in a tree and hangs himself–despite his father’s repeated entreaties for peace.
It’s probably impossible to do justice to a story that sad with a single song. But “David’s Lamentation” comes close.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
