Hymns
Editor’s note: The early years of Vine were a time of fear, uncertainty, and creation. As a new town was being built on unfamiliar land, strange forces seemed determined to disrupt the settlers’ holy quest. Alongside this push-pull of creation and destruction, the written and unwritten word flourished.
These are assembled from a variety of sources. The Book of Vine, of course, is only seen by Preachers and Seminarians. The torn pages of L. James Richardson’s book included some Hymns and Proverbs from the Book of Vine in the back, right before the bibliography and index. Some hymns still grace the pages of Vine hymnals. Many of the proverbs can be heard simply by wandering the streets of Vine.
Hymn 20 (“By God’s Grace Do I Live”)
By God’s grace do I live
Without the Lord I am nothing
Alone in the world would I be
And so I sing God’s praises
Beset by demons on all sides yet I sing God’s praises
By God’s grace do I live
Unholy sites in the mountains cannot frighten me
O the joy O the love I’ve found in Vine
Fields grow crops and animals give meat
And so I sing God’s praises
By God’s grace do I live
The shapeshifters shall be cast out the witches burned
And so I sing God’s praises
Humbly joyfully holy in Vine
Alone in the world I am not
By God’s grace do I live
Editor’s Note: As with any new settler colony, it took time to learn the land. There were threats everywhere—was suffering caused by novice farmers, Indigenous “encroachers,” or the Devil’s monsters hiding in the hills? Were the witches making crops fail and disease flourish? By God’s grace did they live, absolutely.
Hymn 47 (“Up From The Grave She Rose”)
Up from the grave she rose and gave thanks to the Lord
Looked up into the light said “saved has been my soul”
For all things are possible for the Lord our God
For all Earth has been giv’n unto God’s children
Up from the grave she rose and gave the people hope
The preacher was astonished said “e’re more let us be humble”
Unto God’s people blessings and kindness
Unto God’s people blessings and kindness
Up from the grave she rose and stepped out of the woods
Parted leaves from trees and walked in God’s path
How great God is! How blessed are we!
How great God is! How cleansed our souls be!
Up from the grave she rose and praise be unto God
The people of Vine faithfully steward the land!
For all things are possible for the Lord our God
For all Earth has been giv’n unto God’s children
Editor’s Note: The composition of the hymns remains some matter of debate: It is said that Lysander Adams was a prolific composer of both poetry and hymns, though primary sources are difficult to acquire. My theory is some early resident had a notebook and didn’t get any credit. Probably what happened was, Elder Seth Ruth—whose estate will probably have me thrown from Prophet’s Bald for speculating about this if I don’t forget to rewrite this section—shapeshifted and killed whomever actually wrote the hymns, and Lysander Adams picked up the notebook during the cover-up. But we’re not allowed to have those kinds of thoughts in Vine, not on paper. Only just before last call at Gentleman Jim’s, when everyone can pretend it’s a big joke told to children, when everyone can pretend shapeshifters are only a threat to the unrighteous of Vine.
Hymn 66 (“I Found Safety In The Arms Of The Elders”)
Behind the Shield of the Lord, I found safety in the arms of the Elders
Sheltered in righteousness, shrouded in faith
Behind the Shield of the Lord, I found safety in the arms of the Elders
Embraced by salvation, dominion over Earth
Afraid in times of darkness, I found comfort in the ritual of prayer
A plot waits in the woods, I do not fear death
Afraid in times of darkness, I found comfort in the ritual of prayer
Satan lurks in night streets, I do not give into temptation
For the blessings of God are many
For the flight of the heron is long
For the toil in the field is honest
For the faithful shall reap reward
Behind the Shield of the Lord, I found safety in the arms of the Elders
Sheltered in righteousness, shrouded in faith
Behind the Shield of the Lord, I found safety in the arms of the Elders
Sheltered in righteousness, shrouded in faith
Editor’s Note: It is said that the melody of Vine’s hymns is indecipherable to outsiders, untranslatable to traditional forms of music. For the people of Vine, these melodies are as second nature as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” The heron, of course, has its own significance in Vine. You know what I’ve noticed? No one ever shapeshifts into a bird. No one ever shapeshifts into something that can escape. Only something that can kill.
Proverbs
Editor’s Note: again, most of these you can hear at any family gathering or on any street corner in Vine. L. James Richardson gathered some of these in his book, and Preachers included some in The Book of Vine. Look, I can be dismissive of our town sometimes, but it is my home. I love the wisdom of the people. If this book works, a longer exploration of these New World Proverbs and their meaning to the people of Vine might be my next project. Maybe that’s something the Library of Vine would sanction as official research.
- Like the cow scratching her face on a fencepost, so too does the churchgoer purge their sins.
- A man has his toil, a woman has her home. The Children of Vine are as a flowerbed in the eyes of the Lord.
- If you are going where maize is planted do not forget your scythe.
- Streams feed rivers, rivers feed lakes, lakes feed other rivers, which feed oceans. So too shall the Message of Vine one day flood the fallen world.
- Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of Vine is a privilege.
Editor’s Note: it was rumored that demons or spirits would infect single lines of crops. A whole field of, say, strawberry plants would be unaffected, but one unknown section would hide an infestation of demon assassins. Bring your scythe to the fields, indeed. Yet even if demons are in your fields, it is important to remember: knowledge of Vine is a privilege.
- Children run in fields, smelling the flowers. Mothers follow behind, directing children away from piles of shit. Only a man can plow a field.
- In winter, the animals hibernate or leave, but it is God’s chosen in the Americas who keep watch over the earth, even in the snow and wind.
- The rooster who preens unfenced will peck crumbs; but the rooster molded to God’s purpose does not have an idyll master.
- The worst farmer is he who believes he is an Elder.
Editor’s Note: Vine, like most of the United States, loves hierarchies that no one’s supposed to acknowledge. People here are quick to remind a poor person not to act like they’re better than everyone else.
- A fool walks alone at night, but a wise man keeps his hearth warm.
- If the lake fish ain’t biting, move on down river (else you’ll be hungry as a heron).
- An oxen pulls a plough because a man has trained him to do so. A man follows God because he understands righteousness.
- A successful man farms enough to feed his family. A masterful man can feed a multitude.
- Fool me once, the Lord wills it. Fool me twice, and the Devil has fallen into your pockets.
- After rain, a rainbow. After death, the forest floor carries us to our place in Heaven.
- The Lord waters the Earth, just as a Wife of Vine is devoted to her duties.
- An overturned boat cannot dock.
- A Wife of Vine protects her children, as a bear watches over fresh-caught fish.
Editor’s Note: I’ve heard contemporary Preachers use this as some sort of admonishment against women having jobs, but that interpretation downplays the impact of just how many people died in the early days of Vine: men in things like farming or construction or hunting accidents, children because it was hard to live past age eight until, what, the 1950s? A Woman of Vine—a “Wife Of Vine,” even if she was a widow—was often the most steady member of a home.
- The preacher interprets the world as he sees it, but a fool believes he could paint a house from memory.
- As the mountain slopes, a stone may slip, but moss holds fast to a rock.
- The fear of the Lord is the understanding of station.
Editor’s Note: Once again, we’re not supposed to acknowledge class in Vine. Yet while the Elders were covering up for shapeshifters in their ranks and Preachers trying to decide how to dispose of the dead (we’re entering the time of Preacher Alphonse Weber), a commoner did the unthinkable.