“Hark, the herald angels sing. Glory to the new-born king”
Yeah, yeah, I’ve already heard it about 600 gazillion times this season…
But wait-a-minute… It’s my duty to notice what you are overlooking.
What is up with the word “Hark”? In all this time, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anyone use this word. In fact, I don’t really know what it means. Let’s go look it up. That way you write off this blog reading at work as education. You can probably bill some hapless client for it as well.
According to the dictionary “Hark” means “to listen”. “To Hearken”
Talk about your obscure words-of-the-day. Why if they hadn’t used it in that damn Christmas song where else would you have ever heard this word used?
The Beatles didn’t sing “Hearken…do you want to know a secret?” If they had, they’d have been punted right back to Liverpool and we’d never know about the Walrus or Rocky Raccoon then!
You don’t hear your teacher say “Hark up children…there will be a test tomorrow on what we don’t study today…”
Apparently it was once used for dog hunting. No…not the hunting of dogs…the hunting with dogs. Sheesh. You know, silly-looking rich people riding around on horses with packs of dogs chasing something through their neighbors acreage.
Yeah, so supposedly they would shout “Hark forward” or “Hark back” or “Hark away”. I have no idea why. If we cannot understand what the hell this word is, do you really think a pack of running, barking dogs chasing something are going to understand it?
Maybe they should change the song to avoid the confusion. You know, “Hark, the herald angel’s brother…” Ok, you’re right. Hark is even a dorky name and certainly not fitting of an angel.
I formally submit that this word should be retired. It’s one less thing for kids to have to study…
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Hark
Thunk up by
Ed
at
8:22 AM
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30 comments:
Hey, you brought it up, so what the hark is her name, anyway - Magill? Lil? Nancy?
Hark is a crap old word, ye ken.
It's also a crap hymn, but way better than "Colours of Day." This is the worst song ever and makes really regrettably shit pop fashions seem amazingly good.
Honestly.
Hark rhymes with bark, therefore totally appropriate for dog hunting, do you hark me?
Why do I hark to VE?
Because he makes me laugh!
BTW not to get all lexicurious on you...but I believe hark means listen with intent to obey!
Too bad my boys don't hearken unto me more often!
Oh, and I have one more thing for YOU to hearken to....
Musings of a Quirkyloon has far exceeded 18 comments, SIR!
hee hee
roy - I say thing 3...I'm terrible at naming
chris - "Yellow is the color of my urine's puddle, in the morning, when I rise..." Ha ha...come on, you know the song!
nessa - Meh...you bark is worse than your hark! ha ha
quirkyloon - Listen with intent to obey? Bwahahaha That's so old school! Nobody even listens anymore much less obey... And it's funny you should bring up comments...I just updated and you'll notice that I have not forgotten how much you've commented! You rose up that list fast!
Thankfully choral music was invented..otherwise..."hark" would be done for! then what?...I ask you
Up next - Wassailing?
...as in Hark who goes there? We use that one all the time around our house.
Am I the only one who wants to punch and kick carol singers?
p.s. luv the photo of the day!
Harking up sounds disturbingly like what my cats do with hairballs ;)
Hark can stay but Herald needs to go? WTF?
leelee - I think harks lifespan is about over...
megan - Wassup! Oh...and I never go sailing...to many ropes and terms and rules to think about...
carlae - You're not alien or 3000 years old are you?
quickroute - If you kick them right they stop singing...
starrlight - That doesn't sound pretty... Hey how'd you like all the snow around here?
reforminggeek - Herald and his brother Harold aren't invited at my place. There will be no singing!
I HATE it. Seriously. I grew up in Utah. I find having to watch STORM TEAMS consisting of 8 tv reporters in various shades of Gortex with identical dripping noses annoying as hell :P
Once more, it was worth to hearken to VE. Tks for the lesson!
I hate Christmas songs. I'm still suffering from the scars of donning my gay apparel when I was young.
You said gazillion.......
illion words really bother me a lot these days. Million wasn't so bad to grow up with and I remember the first time I even saw, the word billion, it scared me terribly, twas too big a number. Now I cringe, when I hear the new illions and illions.
I love Christmas songs.
starrlight - Yes, that's definitely blog fodder the way they over report every little minutia of it
fida - And my lessons are at no charge!
jeff - We are too! ha ha. We feel for your childhood scars...
micky-t - Yes the illion words are scary and overused. Maybe we should switch over to onion words. Bunyon, etc.
kurt - Well then Kurt, you are in luck cause they're playing 24x7 everywhere!
Forsooth!
serena - Sounds like a bad dental problem...
Fark the Herald ...
Oh wait ... wrong letter.
Sorry.
I do not understand the Christmas Carol bashing going on here. Proper Christmas Caroling is made for rancorous people like us.
Here is how I used to organize classic, historically accurate, Christmas Caroling before we had kids and quit with the drunken revels at home:
My party would be the last weekend before Christmas. Every participant had to bring the location of another party, preferably in a swanky part of town where most of us never got invited. On the last weekend before Christmas, you could have your pick.
We'd have some drinks, practice,(I play guitar) and then load up the cars with designated drivers to hit the parties with our song sheets and flashlights.
Nothing gets a hostess beaming brighter than a bunch of Christmas Carolers showing up to serenade her party. We'd go in, ravage the goodie table, and leave. Catered affairs have VERY GOOD FOOD.
If you were expected at another party, no big deal, we'd crash your party and then leave you behind once we had our way with the place.
After we got through with all the good parties, whoever was left would head back to home base for some serious drinking. If it was cold (this is Georgia after all) I would make real hot rum totties.
A very cheap party to throw because most of the food was supplied by someone else.
THAT'S real Christmas Caroling. Don't get me started on singing to sick people and shut ins at nursing homes. That is a sick perversion that should be made illegal.
practically joe - Ha! Amazing what a single letter slip will generate!
marvel goose - Wow...you've got the system down! Free food is always good...
Hark sounds waaaay too much like the sound my cat makes when he barfs.
giggle - Hark, the kitty's fur ball is seen up, glory to the parent clean up...
lol,so nice
It seems that you pay more attention to is a taste of life, because I saw the attitude of you for life!
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