Man it has been a long time – I nearly forgot the password to this blog. Shocking. Consider my knuckles rapped and back in the game…
So I was going through my normal routine of choosing some songs for this coming Sunday at Kings and as I was perusing a list of songs something jumped out at me. There are quite a few songs that start with the word ‘Oh’ – Oh Happy Day or Oh Lord I am devoted to you for example, but then there are also quite a few songs that start with the word ‘O’. Hmmm I thought, perhaps the ‘O’ should be an ‘Oh’ and I just typed the song title in wrongly. But no, if you google for example Matt Redman’s O Sacred King or the traditional O Lord my God when I in awesome wonder (How great thou art), you’ll see it is definitely an ‘O’.
Now I am no English scholar, I think the apostrophe looks pretty and should be used wherever possible. But what is the difference between ‘O’ and ‘Oh’? Is this some deep dark secret about the English language that I’ve missed?? More to the point should I be using more ‘O’ing in my songs? Deep theological questions…
Perhaps I should email Redman and ask him why he used an ‘O’ instead of an ‘Oh’. To be honest, when I look at the lyrics of songs that use either I have to wonder why the word is there at all – I mean, it doesn’t really mean much or add much to the line – apart from make it fall under the meter a little better. Anyhow – it is all good – but if anyone out there has any hard and fast rules about when to use ‘O’ and when to use ‘Oh’ I’d certainly like to hear it 
Anyway, this brings me on to my next topic of my new song: ‘Oooooooooooooo Lord you are a legend’. What a catchy title. More about this soon…..
Gareth, you always were one for getting the fine detail right! And I�m sure that this issue will severely hamper any further song-writing until you get it settled in your mind. Sadly, I�m not an expert of the English language (nor anything else come to that) but I felt compelled to do a little bit of research on your behalf in order to put you out of your current turmoil.
It would appear that the use of ââ?¬Ë?Oââ?¬â?¢ or ââ?¬Ë?Ohââ?¬â?¢ is quite interchangeable and the difference is fairly subtle. The Oxford Dictionary actually says that ââ?¬Ë?Oââ?¬â?¢ is a variance of ââ?¬Ë?Ohââ?¬â?¢ and is a Middle English (a form of the English language spoken between 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century) phrase that it is prefixed to a name in the vocative ââ?¬â?? in other words a respectful way of addressing someone like God or a king. About ââ?¬Ë?Ohââ?¬â?¢ it says that itââ?¬â?¢s used to express surprise (eg ââ?¬Ë?oh boy!ââ?¬â?¢), pain (eg ââ?¬Ë?oh no!ââ?¬â?¢), excitement (eg ââ?¬Ë?oh yes!ââ?¬â?¢) or resignation (eg ââ?¬Ë?oh well!ââ?¬â?¢). However, it also suggests that ââ?¬Ë?Oââ?¬â?¢ could be used instead so there doesnââ?¬â?¢t appear to be a clearly defined rule.
Looking at the use of these words in the Bible is quite interesting. Thereââ?¬â?¢s plenty of examples of ââ?¬Ë?Oââ?¬â?¢ used immediately before the word ââ?¬Ë?Godââ?¬â?¢ or ââ?¬Ë?Lordââ?¬â?¢ (see for example Psalms 69 to 71) whereas I canââ?¬â?¢t find any examples of the word ââ?¬Ë?Ohââ?¬â?¢ being used in the same way. But then ââ?¬Ë?Oââ?¬â?¢ is also used in other contexts too: ââ?¬Ë?O faithless and perverse generationââ?¬â?¢ (Mat 17:17) or ââ?¬Ë?O foolish Galatians!..ââ?¬â?¢ (Gal 3:1).
ââ?¬Ë?Ohââ?¬â?¢ is used in a wide variety of passages: ââ?¬Ë?Oh, these people have committed a great sinââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬â?¢ (Gen 32:32), ââ?¬Ë?Oh that they were wiseââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬â?¢ (Deut 32:29), ââ?¬Ë?Oh that my griefââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬â?¢ (Job 6:2) or ââ?¬Ë?Oh the depth of the richesââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬â?¢ (Rom 11:33). Generally it appears to be used a lot in the context of giving emphasis to something, voicing a sense of disappointment that things arenââ?¬â?¢t different or expressing despair about a situation.
I think my suggestion would be that if that youââ?¬â?¢re going to use these words in a song, then follow the Biblical pattern ââ?¬â?? i.e. to use ââ?¬Ë?Oââ?¬â?¢ when it comes before the name of God and use ââ?¬Ë?Ohââ?¬â?¢ for any other phrase if itââ?¬â?¢s appropriate. Or just ignore them altogether! Happy song-writing Garethââ?¬Â¦
Larry, you are good man – thanks for looking a bit deeper into this for me! I think I am reassured to find that there is a rule / method to follow, I love that kind of thing!
One thing that did strike me is that I’ve actually never written a song that contained an ‘O’ or even an ‘Oh’ – so perhaps the ignoring them altogether is a viable option!
It is always good to think about stuff like this though – I am passionate about people understanding what they are singing rather than just going through the motions so thanks for looking into this.
Dear Gareth, I’m glad that this concerns you as it drives me nuts when the wrong use of O or Oh is in written works- especially hymns. Fortunately [or unfortunately!] I had a very detailed education in the Use of English and its reliance on laton forms as a base, which has stuck [ the latin disappeared rapidly as I cannot learn disembodied words - although I still decline various verbs with the best]. Anyway, O is for a form of address – if you are hailing/addressing someone or something. It should not be followed by a comma. Oh introduces exclamations or expresses a reflective pause or motion. It is often followed by a comma e.g. ‘Oh, by the way …’ But the comma can be dispensed with as in ‘Oh dear, what can the matter be …’
Hope this helps
Gill
Gill that was very useful – and as a learned reader of this site I hope that our grammer and punctuation doesn’t frustrate you too much…
I have a Collins Dictionary somewhere which states that ‘O’ should only be used in poetry (and perhaps by inference, songs?) and that ‘Oh’ should be used at other times. So it appears that there are different opinions on the subject.
Well, it is decent, however how about additional choices we have here? Would you mind making one more post regarding them too? Thanks!
Well, it is decent, however how about additional choices we have here? Would you mind making one more post regarding them too? Thanks!