Everybody knows there are two songs in the universe titled, “Joy
to the World.” We have the beloved Christmas hymn written by Isaac Watts. We also have the equally
popular secular song by Three Dog Night. The second one is distinguished by its iconic first line, “Jeremiah was
a bullfrog / Was a good friend of mine.” The record spent six weeks at number one in 1971. Did
you know this hugely familiar secular song with its nonsensical lyrics, written by Hoyt Axton, was originally created with
Christianity in mind? The writer, Axton (1938-1999), came from a songwriting family (his mother co-wrote “Heartbreak
Hotel” for Elvis Presley). He was a big guy physically – 265 pounds with a lusty sense of humor. In
the late 1960’s he opened shows for the mega-group Three Dog Night who liked his quirky material. One of
his catchy songs had an opening lyric, “Jeremiah was a prophet.” Axton described it as a “children’s
sing-along song,” partly because it was composed for a children’s program that never aired. The group felt
it could be a hit, but not with its overtly religious lyrics. So Axton penned a second lyric solely for
the group. This became the famous version that everyone is familiar with. “I’ve never
been a saint,” he once told an interviewer. “Growing up I was devoted to women, motorcycles,
and fast cars. But no more. My wife, Donna, settled me down. Money
still is the root of all evil.” Axton wrote a second hit for Three Dog Night, “Never Been to Spain,”
as well as a song for Ringo Starr, “The No No Song,” and “The Pusher” by Steppenwolf, as well as an
early hit, “Greenback Dollar” by the Kingston Trio. To my knowledge, “Joy to the World” by Hoyt
Axton with its Christian lyrics has never been recorded. At home last year, I found a Christmas songbook from 1982 that
had what I was looking for. The rare Christian lyrics are printed below. Enjoy!
“Joy to the World (Jeremiah)”
Jeremiah was a prophet
Moses was a prophet, too
Jesus was the Son of God and
man,
His love shines down on you.
Yeah, his love
shines down on you.
(chorus)
Singing joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me.
The reason to be ChristianIs
just as plain as day
The sermon on the mountain
Was made to show the way, it was made to show the way
.(repeat chorus)
When you’re lost on life’s
highway
And you’ve no place to
hide
The keys are in the kingdom
We’re all welcome inside.
Yeah, we’re
all welcome inside.
