A praise and worship-style “gag song” intended for Christian camps has gone (ahem) viral on YouTube, touching hearts and upsetting stomachs across the Web.
The anonymous tune, “I Think I’m Gonna Throw Up (My Hands To The Lord),” had been circulating for awhile when Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing snapped it up for their collection Crazy Praize 3.
Ed Kee, one of the masterminds behind the Crazy Praize series, says he would love to find the original writer.
“All that money of course is held in an account waiting for somebody to come along and prove they wrote the song,” Kee said.
It may not have sparked the same eruption of hits as the animated kittens singing “Joy Joy Joy,” but 50,000+ views is nothing to be ashamed of.
Well, it is if you side with some of the commenters.
“How does this lukewarm sewage give praise to our holy and righteous God?” asked Mr.CairoKid. “I’m sure Jesus would vomit it out of His mouth!”
“Is this some sort of sick joke????” asked FaithandReasons.
Of course, anything online that gets this popular will cause people to start hurling criticism. Others were more appreciative of the song, confident that Christian kids would eat it up.
“I wonder if I could dare my worship pastor to open with this song one day,” mused christiangurl199117.
“When I went to camp this week we sang this song,” said godsgirl198. “It was sooo funny and fun but yet we were praising God.”
Kee said that fun was the main reason the Crazy Praize producers included “Throw Up” in their lineup.
“It’s something goofy that sounds fun to sing but yet has a message to it,” Kee said. “There’s a little difference in a camp setting when you’re purposely trying to have fun with the kids. You’re not necessarily in a worship setting.”
Kee pointed out that some of the songs in the collection had more profound theological themes, while others—for instance the classic “Alice the Camel”—weren’t spiritual at all.
He too would find “I Think I’m Gonna Throw Up” hard to digest in a more serious worship setting.
“I’m one that really has a heart for reverence,” he said. “I didn’t see this as one that you necessarily would use to teach kids about worship. It’s lighthearted, but not to the point of being irreverent.”
