h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Someone in the neighbourhood has started playing "Nearer My God To Thee", every night, really loudly. It's been going on for a couple of weeks, now, and it's getting annoying.

On the plus side, it doesn't go on all night. It seems to be once, and once only. But it's the regularity of it that's starting to get on my nerves.

As well as the fact that it's so slow and dreary that it seems like it's going to last forever once it starts.

I had to look that one up on YouTube - it's not one that we ever sang in school assembly nor is it in Hymns Ancient and Modern, which I think is the hymnbook we used.

Man, those old hymns have some damn good tunes, and I can remember every one of them

Dammit KB, I've got hymn tune earworms coming out of my, er, ears now

It's the one the band supposedly played as the Titanic was going down, although that might be a myth.

I know what you mean about the earworms, though. Me too.

I have recollections of television documentaries about them. One about Victorian hymns in general, and one from the early-mid 70s which I'd love to see again, about Abide With Me. If a copy of it even exists, the likelihood of it being broadcast is probably slim. There was a time when ITV would broadcast odd little documentaries like that every Tuesday after News at 10, and they were almost always worth sticking around for.

Perhaps he is thinking of founding a Titanic Re-enactment Society.

It was on the tip of my tongue to say I wish he'd sink and be done with it in that case, but that wouldn't be very neighbourly.