How to Memorize the Psalms Easily w/ Songs (ft. Zac Fitzsimmons)

You might think you’re not good at memorizing Scripture, but all of us somehow memorize song lyrics without thinking about it. So why not combine the two? That’s what worship leader Zac Fitzsimmons does with the Psalms, and it’s definitely one of the fastest ways to memorize a Psalm. Try it out!

Here are a couple of the resources mentioned in the interview:

• On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@zacfitzsimmonsmusic
• Zac’s Website: https://www.psalmsongswordforword.com

Zac’s music is part of our complete Scripture Music resource list. Below is a transcript of the conversation Zac had with Josh on the podcast:

Zac Fitzsimmons Interview Transcript:

Zac: Well, I mean, I’ve had a passion for music since the beginning, but my full, full-time job is leading worship music in the church. So I’ve been doing that full time for 12 or 13 years now. But the Psalms has really just been maybe the last five or six years that have really just kind of taken off with these guys. So. Many. I saw a list of them on your website, but I don’t know if that’s updated or not.

Josh: How many of the psalms have you put word for word to music?

Zac: So there was 14 on the first collection, and I’m releasing another collection actually on March 3rd that’ll have another eight. So I guess whatever that is, 22. Okay. Am I doing the math right? Yeah, .

Josh: Awesome.

Zac: So not that many really, but it’s like they take forever. I mean, to really do word for word and to kind of figure out melody wise and then record ’em, it just takes a long time. Yeah.

Josh: Oh, absolutely. I can only imagine. So, I mean, guess that’s a great place to start there. First of all, would you mind bringing me through the process of what was it that inspired you to go, I mean, because you’ve been leading worship obviously for a long time. Sure. So you could have gone into just writing worship songs or or going that route, but instead you decided to put Psalms word, not just, I mean, know Shane and Shane, I love what they do, and there’s a lot of just adaptation that happens there that I love and I appreciate, but you made it specific. I want to do word for word what led to that?

Zac: Yeah. I mean, it started in 2016. The lead pastor was taking us through, it was just called Psalms in the summer or something like that. It was just a summer series. And I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if we could write music and melodies to these Psalms word for word, and then keep up with the sermon series, basically. So do one a week and just crank ’em out and then have ’em recorded so the congregation can listen to ’em the following week in just a different way to soak in the Scriptures. But I had no idea if I could do it. I was just like, ah, let’s give it a shot. And it is kind of low pressure because nobody asked me to do it. I was just like, I think that’d be cool. And I think the congregation would probably appreciate that. And so I knew about three weeks ahead of time what psalms he was doing that summer.

So at least I had a couple weeks to try to start working it out. Started at the beginning with Psalm one, and it’s like, okay, I think I can do this. It’s something that God put in me that I can just hear melodies just easily. So that part’s, in a sense, easy. The tricky part is none of these lines rhyme. You’re trying to do your best to make it somewhat listenable and not just total , just weird. So I sometimes we’ll even turn pieces into almost what would be a chorus, even though there was probably no chorus. Maybe in the Hebrew poetry, maybe there’s sometimes when they repeat things or whatnot. So that, I think that just helps people to grab hold of it. And then as we got some momentum going, people are like, man, we love these. Keep on making ’em, keep on doing it. I’m like, I’m loving it too. I’m soaking in the Scriptures in a new way because you do it. At least for me when I’m going through it, I mean, it’s probably hundreds of times going through the psalm in the course of the week trying to put music and melody to it. And by the end, I’m like, I know this psalm better than I could have known it. Just reading through it, that kind of a thing. Yea. Oh.

Josh: Yeah, absolutely.

Zac: So it’s been a great blessing to me, but it’s just kind of cool that it’s a blessing to other people too.

Josh: Yeah. I always ask this to people that put Scripture to music. So I’m curious to hear from your perspective when you are going to just say the Psalm. Yeah. Do you find it hard to not sing it in a melody, or can you say it through just verbally?

Zac: Honestly, I’m horrible at just sing, just speaking it. I to almost have to have a guitar in my hand to be able to just sing it and then sing the words and stuff, which is mean this, it’s kind of funny that you’re even interviewing me because it looks like a lot of the people you’re interviewing are really gifted at memorization or have figured out ways to memorize Scripture. I’m horrible at memorizing, but yet through music is just a tool that connects with my brain and just allows me to soak in the Scripture in a new way. Yeah.

Josh: Well, it’s funny you even say that because I think a lot of people, and I put myself in this camp as well people think that I’m super good at memorizing. And I think it’s really just a matter of are you willing to put in the time? And for you, what allows gives you maybe the motivation to put in the time is putting it to music, but you’re doing it a hundred times, and that’s really getting it into your brain. So I mean, that was one of my questions for you earlier, having to do with just melody mean, obviously things aren’t rhyming if you’re going word for word or at least all the time. So do you find that it is creating that melody? It sounds like that that’s kind of comes naturally, but what then is the hardest part of really bringing that song to life?

Zac: Yeah. Well, I mean, it kind of starts with reading through and what is the psalm about? I mean, is it happy? Is it a lament? Is it, it kind of starts there and kind of the feel. And then, I don’t know. I’ll usually sit by guitar cause that’s the most natural instrument, but it could be whatever. I got this cool instrument that’s called an Irish. Sometimes I’ll sit down with that thing. It’s like a giant mandolin anyways, usually a guitar. And I just, I’ll just kind of start with maybe a verse or two and just what could this feel? What does this sound like? And sometimes I just finished Psalm 96 2 weeks ago, but I started it five years ago. Sometimes it just doesn’t come super quick. I maybe had music and melodies the first six verses, and that’s all that was coming to me. But I kept stuff recorded so I could go back to it and check on it and revisit it. But there’s others that I, I sit down and a half an hour later I’m like, we got it. So it kind of depends on what God wants to give in the moment, and I’m just happy to receive whatever he’s ready to give. So yeah.

Josh: Earlier you said that you were doing this based on the summer series on the Psalms. What are you doing? How are you choosing the Psalms right now moving forward?

Zac: Yeah, that’s a good question. It has been a lot of, it’s been even inspired by people asking for particular Psalms being done. I’ve got just the YouTube group. There’s just people all over the world that are using these, which is super fun. But then I’ll ask them, I’m like, what would be some of your favorite Psalms to have done? Because it is an investment of time. So I want to make sure that, I mean, any Psalm is valuable, obviously, but I’d love to have particular ones that are impactful for more than just me too. So yeah, it’s been a little bit random to be honest. And it’s just kind of more based on people’s suggestions of what they’re looking for.

Josh: And for those of you that are watching or listening right now if you want to go, I’ll be linking obviously, to your YouTube channel and your website in the show notes or in the description of the video. But it’s Zac Fitzsimmons music. If you just wanted to search for it directly for those people that there’s so many different methods for memorizing Scripture. And I think a lot of people don’t even realize that when they first start out in memorizing. They think that the way that we grew up with just repeating it over and over and over again is possibly the only way. And I love being able to talk to people like yourself where you’ve obviously taken a skillset that God’s given you music and been able to apply that to something. Do you think it’s possible? I, what I don’t want to do is I don’t want it to make it seem like you have to be a professional musician in order to do something like this. Obviously they can listen to your music, but if somebody wanted to write their own song to Scripture, one, do you think it’s possible? And then two, so even if they’re not super talented musicians, what tips or recommendations would you give them?

Zac: Yeah, I mean, I think anybody can do it if you’re willing, kind of like you said, if you’re willing to put the time into it and that’s something you’re passionate about doing, I think anybody can do it. I’ve actually had when I first started this, I didn’t even realize anybody else was actually doing this kind of thing. But there, of course, there’s other folks that are doing word for word songs out there. But the other fun thing that’s happened too, again, just connecting with people all over the world through YouTube is people start sending me versions of stuff that they’ve done.

And sometimes it’s, yeah, it’s super simple. You know what I mean? It’s just like four chords and they just find some sort of groove and it just works. And I can tell they maybe don’t have fancy recording equipment or deep understanding of maybe even musically what they’re playing, but it’s just like it works and it works for them. And so it really doesn’t matter, especially if your purpose is just like, I want to just soak in this psalm in a new way through music. Basically whatever comes out that connects with your heart a win. Yeah. So I don’t know as far as advice other than just do it and just kind of push forward and find a three, four chord pattern, just start singing melodies and see what comes out.

Josh: Yeah. And if it’s anything, I honestly haven’t put a lot any Scripture. No, I take that back. I have done one Psalm to music a number of years back, a couple of ’em now. And I think the thing that I always think about when I’m talking to other people that may not think of themselves as super musicians is even good musicians that I know the first thing that they put out there, it’s not, it’s, it’s not a top 40 hit or anything. And it doesn’t have to be, especially in this case, it’s just put something out there that gives you a reason to listen over and over again, because that’s really going to put it into your brain. You know what I mean?

Zac: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. That’s good.

Josh: Well, two other things quickly. First of all, this coming from another musician Taylor or Martin, I think I see you playing a Martin. Is that it? , usually a Martin for acoustic. Yeah. Yep. All right. What kind of Martin do you have? It’s a beautiful guitar.

Zac: I honestly don’t even know. It’s just kind of my workhorse guitar. I mean, it’s like an artist series, something. I don’t even know what the model number is or anything like that. I’m not really a, as many instruments as I have. I’m not a good gear junkie where I really even, I’m just like, they’re just tools to me. But I’ve probably got, I don’t know, maybe 15 instruments or something in the other room. I love even collecting odd instruments I use on the new album coming out. The first song is Psalm one 17, which is super, super short. I think it’s a verse or two long.

And we actually are using a harmonium on that. I don’t know if you know what a harmonium is. Yes. But it’s that kind of pump organ thing or whatever. It’s just like, it’s perfect. So wow. I just love variety. And so if you listen to any of these that I put together, be like, what genre is he even playing right now? Just like I’m all over the map. But I feel like that’s, at least to me, that’s what keeps it interesting for me. And I think that especially some of these longer psalms, sometimes that variety kind of helps you stay engaged all the way through. Yeah.

Josh: Yeah, definitely. I can imagine that because you don’t want it to be too repetitive or too, especially for the longer Psalms, you want to add that variety in.

Zac: Yeah, it’s an interesting mix because if you can make something sort of repetitive, it gives you something to grab hold of, right? But mm-hmm. Too much of the same thing. You’re just like, okay, , use directions a little bit to kind of keep me interested. Yeah. Yeah.

Josh: Well, Zack, can I put you on the spot? I know I didn’t prep you for this, and you can say no right off the bat, but would you be willing to grab your guitar real quick and just play us a bar or two of something that either you’ve already written or you’re in one of the psalms that you’re in the process of writing?

Zac: Sure. Yep. I could do that. I’ve got I’ll grab this one right here.

Josh: A musician when he has to look on both sides of himself and go, which one? Oh, I’ll grab that one. .

Zac: This one’s. So this is a little speaking of Martin’s little baby Martin on this guy, but it’s good for a purpose like this. So I’ll give you a little taste of the very first one I ever did, but just SM one. So should I just go for it? Go for it, man.

¹ Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law^[b] of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
⁴ The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶ for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1, ESV

More Bible Memory Resources

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