Learning the 144 Secular Hymns

♪♪♪ SING ALONG ♪♪♪ as a piano plays the chords and melody (from the SOLO Edition of the Secular Hymnal). Singing along to a simple, chorded melody like this is an ideal way to develop your harmonizing skills!

Lyrics:

Spent our treasure on U two thirty five (man alive!)
Spent our treasure on U two thirty five (man alive!)
Did we decide that schools would all survive and thrive, thrive, thrive?
No. We spent it on U two thirty five (man alive!)

Spent our treasure on brand-new war machines (how obscene!)
Spent our treasure on brand-new war machines (how obscene!)
Was it our dream the helpless would get the means, the means, means, means?
No. We spent it on brand-new war machines (how obscene!)

 

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Here's the same hymn in 4-part harmony (from the SATB Edition of the Secular Hymnal). If you and your choir prefer to print out your own score of this hymn, click here to access a beautiful PDF file.

To research the history of this hymn tune: http://www.hymnary.org/hymnal/SH2014

 

Out of respect for our diverse society, please work to keep our public school and community choirs "secular" (comfortable and welcoming to both religious and nonreligious singers). For more information, please visit the secular choirs webpage.

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(Page last updated: January 16, 2016 )