Jason Silver

Thursday, September 29th, 2016

Boney M has made this psalm famous, so many people know the title “By the Rivers of Babylon,” even if they don't realize that it's a lyric taken from Psalm 137.

I've tried to do what I always do; to faithfully stick to the original words of the ancient Psalm, even if the words seem awkward to sing, violent, “unchristian,” or generally inappropriate. I think it's more important to stick to the original intent of the lyricist / psalmist, and try to understand where they were coming from than it is to be politically correct and lose the original intent.

These words mean a lot to me because I'm a musician, and I've found myself in a type of captivity or exile.