The Blog of Eternal Boredom: Top 10 "Liken the Scriptures" Songs

Back in the day, I was in love with this series called Liken the Scriptures (you know, like 1 Nephi 19:23 “for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.”) They were a series of movies made for kids that taught scripture stories. They always started out with a modern-day kid having a problem like moving to a new school, having to fast, getting teased, or something like that, so an adult tells them a scripture story to help them deal with it. The majority of the movie is the scripture story told through the child’s imagination.

They’re obviously super cheesy and goofy, but also kind of clever and actually pretty funny. They also are good at bringing the Spirit in and balancing out serious and fun moments (I mean, at least as much as a kid’s show can).

Oh, and did I mention they’re musicals?

The songs are probably the best part of the movies! I’ve got all the soundtracks and I still listen to them every once in a while. Not only are the melodies super catchy, but the lyrics are clever and often taken straight out of the scriptures. They make a great Sunday playlist if you want to change it up a little from the usual hymns and stuff.

Well, I was listening to some of the songs today and I thought, “I love these songs... but which ones are my favorite?” I decided to try ranking them and this is the list I came up with. Here is the list of my top 10 favorite Liken the Scriptures songs:

10) “A Little Bit More” from Esther and the King

I think the reason I like this song so much is because the situation is already really funny. This bit in the scriptures where Haman is giving the king advice on how to reward someone who has delighted the king, thinking it’s himself, but it’s really his enemy, Mordechai, is so hilarious! So just hearing it play out in song form is great. And the “record-scratch” ending tops it off perfectly when Haman finally realizes what’s up. Plus, it’s super catchy!

9) “His Love” from Samuel the Lamanite

So there’s the upbeat songs (usually the bad guy’s songs) and then there’s the slower, more spiritual songs. Here’s my first spiritual song. Not only is it beautiful, but I find the lyrics very inspiring. It talks about how no matter what life throws at you, God is always there for you.

8) “No Way” from Jonah and the Great Fish

The first song of this movie and it’s mega catchy. I like how it starts out all slow and spiritual-sounding as Jonah professes that he’s willing to do whatever God asks and go wherever he’s needed... until he gets the revelation that he needs to go to Ninevah and immediately freaks out at the idea. It’s a total bop. Not to mention it’s David Osmond who’s got a great voice.

7) “Because of Thee” from Daniel and the Lions

If you know the story of Daniel in the lions den, you know his enemies twist his diligent praying on its head. This is one of his faithful prayers in song form. It’s a beautiful, simple song full of gratitude and love as a prayer should be.

6) “Look to the Light” from Samuel the Lamanite

This one is Samuel’s sermon to the Nephites from up on the wall. It’s full of warnings and advice. Of course, it includes the prophecy of Christ’s birth in five years. What I especially love about this song, though, is the melody. It’s just a beautiful and powerful song.

5) “I Am David” from David and Goliath

Talk about a power song! David is the ultimate example of standing up to hard things. This song demonstrates the great faith he had when he stood up to Goliath, fully confident he could bring down the giant. (Plus I love the parallel it draws to Goliath’s earlier song “I Am Goliath”).

4) “It’s Alright” from Alma and King Noah’s Court

This song is so funny because it’s set up like a disco which totally fits the message of the song (like “relax and party. It doesn’t matter!”) This is King Noah’s song and the lyrics are gold. It’s straight up the “eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die” outlook. They even chant “eat drink and be merry!” at one point.

3) “What Would I Give?” from Esther and the King

Gorgeous song with a great message. It’s basically asking what would you be willing to do for God after He’s done so much for you? Is doing something as simple as fasting and praying such a hard thing in comparison to what He’s done?

2) “Here Waiting” from Nephi and Laban

This song is just plain amazing! It’s an upbeat song, but not sung by the bad guys. The sons of Lehi sing it outside Jerusalem while trying to decide who should go ask Laban for the plates. It’s set up like a 90s boy band song and they rock it! Laman’s tragic vocalizing when he draws the lot is fantastic! Also, I must shout out to “one day they’re gonna read it form the Book of Laman” haha!

1) “Lonely” from Samuel the Lamanite

I can never get enough of this song. It’s duet between Samuel and Nephi III as they separately sing about how God is always with them even when others can’t see it. Great song! Beautiful song! And the harmonizing is on point!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

“All’s Well in Zion” from Samuel the Lamanite