A Christmas carol service in Sri Lanka was thrown into disarray as surprised attendees were supplied with lyrics to Tupac Shakur's track, Hail Mary, as opposed to the traditional Christian hymns. Pictures of the handbook, presented to attendees of Joy to the World 2016, surfaced on Twitter this weekend and were shared across multiple social media platforms over the course of the Christmas weekend.

As churchgoers opened their prayer books, they were confronted with the lyrics to one of Tupac's most famous tracks. Listed as the opening lyrics to the Hail Mary, a one thousand year old plus prayer derived from passages of the Gospel of Luke, were; "Makavelli in this/Killuminati, all through your body. The blows like a twelve-gauge shotty".

Related Themes

Similarly, both songs are thematically concerned with a plea to Mary, the mother of Jesus, to intercede on behalf of sinners across the globe.

Tupac, who inspired a generation of rappers, is both more graphic and urgent than the traditional Christian hymn. Other lyrics in Tupac Shakur's plea to Mary are: "I ain't a killer but don't push me/ revenge is like the sweetest joy net to getting p**sy" and "If it's on then it's on/we break beat-breaks/outlawz on a paper chase, can you relate/be the sh*t I gotta take/dealing with fate, hoping God don't close the gate".

Andrew Chosky, a man from Colombo, attended the service: "Many people around us were in complete shock about the lyrics presented in front of us. Some people thought it was a joke but most people were concerned that people would actually rap the lyrics.

Chosky continued, stating: "Several of the ladies that were sat in front of us could not stop looking at the words printed in the booklet. It was a combination of shock and concern.

There was no explanation given by the organisers [Joy to the World]. They failed to acknowledge their mistake. Honestly, I don't think many people saw the booklet at all. People were incredibly shocked at first but then they took it in good humour. To be honest, I was resisting all temptation to burst out laughing".

The murder of Tupac Shakur will be seralised in a new television drama during 2017.

Don't miss our page on Facebook!
Click to read more