As the Worm Turns*
A Little Context Before You Listen
We raise worms to help enrich the soil in our garden. Like most living things, they occasionally provide considerably more entertainment than their job description requires.
As the Worm Turns is not the usual fare around here. It grew out of watching the very real—and sometimes surprisingly dramatic—goings-on in our worm bin. Somewhere along the way, observation became a soap opera, and the soap opera became a song.
It simply had to come out.
So, with a smile firmly in place, meet the cast of As the Worm Turns.
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Lyrics
Yes, there are worms.
Yes, things happen in the worm bin.
Yes, I turned it into a soap opera.
Come on in.
Verse 1 (Spoken)
Previously… Several worms got out
The rest stayed home alone
They kept growing 'til quite stout
On peach peels and rice scones.
Chorus
As The Worm Turns, the story goes on
Some have grown and some have gone
Through love and loss, twists and turns
Stick around for... As the Worm Turns
Verse 2
The story shows who sleeps with whom
Breaking up before the baby boom
There's a new flush of hair-like worms
Those tiny little things that squirm.
Chorus
As The Worm Turns, the story goes on
Some have grown and some have gone
Through love and loss, twists and turns
Stick around for... As the Worm Turns
Verse 3
The cast is suddenly all aglow
One's been nominated, you know
An Emmy for their part in the show
Not since many many years ago.
Bridge
The gossip column raised an alarm
Seems every parent plays both parts
They meet, exchange, then move along
And go home with seven hearts.
No custody fights when they're apart
Breaking up's a disconnecting art—
Each carries on with one small detail
Worms are both male and female
Chorus
As The Worm Turns, the story goes on
Some have aged, some have passed on
Through love and loss, twists and turns
Stick around for... As the Worm Turns
Outro
They each have their own clitellum...
That's just one of the many concerns
Tune in tomorrow again
For— As The Worm Turns
Devotional
Paying Attention
Scripture begins by telling us that God made “the living creature after his kind”, including the creatures that move close to the ground (Genesis 1:24–25). Job later says, “ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee”, and reminds us that “in whose hand is the soul of every living thing” (Job 12:7–10). We do not have to make something grand before it can remind us to notice the world He made.
The song, As the Worm Turns, starts in one of the least glamorous places imaginable: a worm bin. It notices escapes, growth, tiny new worms, strange biology, and the ordinary cycle of life. Then it does something wonderfully human with what it notices—it laughs.
That laughter does not make the subject insignificant. Psalm 104:24 marvels, “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all”. A worm may be small and hidden, but it is not outside His creation. Its design, its place in the soil, and even the details that make us grin are part of a world far more intricate than we usually stop to observe.
Wonder Does Not Have to Be Solemn
Sometimes reverence looks like silence. Sometimes it looks like amazement. And sometimes our attention to creation ends in delighted laughter. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine”. Joy is not the enemy of seriousness; it can be one way we receive ordinary life with gratitude.
This song is not a coded allegory in which every feature of worm biology represents a doctrine. Scripture remains the authority. The worms simply give us an excuse to pay attention—to see that even the small, easily overlooked corners of creation can awaken curiosity, humility, gratitude, and joy.
That may be the quiet invitation underneath all the silliness: look closer. There is more happening around us than we notice. A garden, a bird, a seed, a worm bin—ordinary things can remind us that God's world is active, layered, surprising, and worth receiving with open eyes.
For Reflection
What ordinary part of creation have I stopped noticing? When was the last time something small made me curious, grateful, or simply glad? Can I allow wholesome humor and wonder to coexist in the way I receive God's world?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the abundance and variety of Your creation. Give me eyes to notice what I normally overlook and a heart that responds with gratitude. Keep my joy wholesome, my curiosity alive, and my attention turned toward You, the Maker of all things. Amen.
Extra Info — Scripture Map
God made the creatures of the earth: Genesis 1:24–25
Creation can direct our attention toward its Maker: Job 12:7–10
The wisdom and variety of God's works: Psalm 104:24
The good of a merry heart: Proverbs 17:22