Beatitudes, etc., by benjamin & the bible

Beatitudes, etc.

by benjamin & the bible

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1.	the poor 01:36	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:3 (KJV) "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
2.	the mourners 01:40	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:4 (KJV) "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
3.	the meek 01:30	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:5 (KJV) "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
4.	the hungry 01:31	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:6 (KJV) "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."
5.	the merciful 02:50	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:7 (KJV) "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
6.	the pure 02:41	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:8 (KJV) "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
7.	the peacemakers 01:35	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:9 (KJV) "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
8.	the persecuted 02:15	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:10 (KJV) "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
9.	ye 03:12	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:11-12 (KJV) "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
10.	the net 02:05	lyrics	buy track
from John 21:6 (KJV)
11.	petals 01:23	lyrics	buy track
Sources: - Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (by Mary Baker Eddy), p.506:18 - Romans 8:28
12.	stepping stones 02:19	lyrics	buy track
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (by Mary Baker Eddy), p.vii:13
13.	clouds 02:05	lyrics	buy track
Christian Science Hymnal #400
14.	presence 02:18	lyrics	buy track
Christian Science Hymnal #81
15.	light 02:51	lyrics	buy track
Christian Science Hymnal #241
16.	wings 03:08	lyrics	buy track
Christian Science Hymnal #149 (now 510 too)
17.	little feet 01:57	lyrics	buy track
Miscellaneous Writings (by Mary Baker Eddy), p.400:12
18.	the poor outtake 00:49	lyrics	buy track
Matthew 5:3 (and improvised)

about

I wrote the beatitudes ditties over the course of a few years with no plan as to what to do with them. Eventually (maybe in late 2006?) I shared what I had with university friend Tim Kitz, who borrowed my demos and came back to me later with accompanying parts for various instruments (see credits below). I had the idea to perform them as a series of sing-alongs, which we tried out at our respective churches in Ottawa. In 2008 I met Ashton Duffus (now Ashton Glass) at camp on Bowen Island, BC, and when I casually sang the songs near her she started improvising vocal harmonies that just obviously belonged. I was moving to Boston in the new year for a few months and invited Tim and Ashton to visit me there, where I hung out often with visual artist and inspiring songwriter/musician Alex Cook.

The beatitudes were recorded in one afternoon/evening in Alex's bedroom and through his set up which at the time consisted of one mic plugged directly into his computer. The basic recording software would preserve only about 2/3 of takes, and we would only find out at the end of a take if it happened to be successfully processed or lost forever. We rearranged ourselves around the room to manage mic proximity (there are still videos of this recording up on my YouTube page, for the curious or nostalgic). Non-beatitudes songs were recorded separately, in a variety of settings, most (but not all) of them even more low-fi.

After assembling recordings, selecting takes, and making simple edits, I burned the album onto CD-Rs with hand-folded paper covers and sold it that way to lots of people in person, at shows, and by mail order in exchange for $15 or "something creative" over the next several years. This is the first time the album's been available online since its creation in early 2009. Enjoy.
with love,
Ben

credits

released December 7, 2023

Ben Vaughan: voice, guitar, recorder, harmonica, all songwriting
Tim Kitz: flute, bass guitar, glockenspiel, mbira (or some kind of lamellophone), slide ukulele, banjo
Ashton Glass: voice, finger stomps, zipper, kazoo
Alex Cook: zipper, finger stomps, hand claps, recording facilitation, improvised vocals on #18
Scott Wendelberger: lentils, rice, hand claps, interruption on #18
Anonymous sound contributors from outside Alex’s apartment: barks, vrooms, etc.

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about

benjamin & the bible Victoria, British Columbia

Ben Vaughan is a Canadian composer and multi-instrumentalist who sets mostly Bible verses to folk-based music that aspires to be equal parts interesting and beautiful.

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