[Note: This is a favorite entry from the archives. It's a treatise of Sesame Street theology! (And yes, Sesame Street is still one of the best shows on television today. :-) There are a lot of things from childhood that still resonate with us and that are common in our experience, no matter the age level. I try to explore that in this blog. As one of my Christian heroes said, "The child is in me still and sometimes not so still." (That's a Mister Rogers quote! :-)) May you enjoy some sunny days where everything's A-okay this week as the Son shines in your life.]
And because, as I’ve heard it said before,
“Everything is theology”, I wanted to share some musings about an unusual place
to find theology perhaps- but it’s definitely a great place to learn new
things- like ABCs and 123s. You still know how to get there, don’t you?
Nonetheless, lest we forget, can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame
Street? :-)
I was thinking on this a while
back- there are a number of songs on Sesame Street that may speak to simple
themes, but also in some ways point to a much bigger picture. The name of the
show itself is taken from a phrase from the “Arabian Nights”- “Open Sesame” is
the phrase Ali Baba learns that the 40 thieves use to open the door to their
cave of (stolen) treasures. Sesame Street as a TV show strives to be an open
cave full of treasure as well- the treasure of knowledge; the path of wisdom.
And is that not the longing we hear expressed even in the very theme song-
“Sunny days- sweeping the clouds away; on my way to where the air is sweet- Can
you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street? Come and play- everything’s
A-okay. Family, neighbors, friends- that’s where we meet. Can you tell me how
to get- to get to Sesame Street? It’s a magic carpet ride- every door will open
wide for happy people like you. Happy people like… What a glorious- Sunny day
sweeping the clouds away- on my way to where the air is sweet- can you tell me
how to get- how to get to Sesame Street?”………
Sunny days- where the air is sweet and where the clouds are swept away- that
description sounds fairly similar to Heaven where God gives us endless happy
days with Him for those who trust Him as Savior- and He wipes away all our
tears. And we meet family, neighbors and
friends who have trusted Christ as Savior too. It is certainly glorious there- (Revelation
21-22) And isn’t this the end goal everyone wants to get to- yet everyone is
asking everyone else, “Can you tell me how to get there?” And of course, as we
seek this wisdom- we seek the right path to God- The Bible tells us that we
could never know the way on our own- and that’s why God revealed it to us
through Jesus- He is The Way, The Truth and The Life- No man comes to The
Father but by Him. Proverbs 8 gives us a whole chapter of Wisdom crying out to
us and imploring us to seek her and find her. And Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The
fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of The Holy One is
understanding.” And as we are on this quest, God has given us knowledge of Himself
through revelation both in creation and in His Word- and in The Living Word-
Jesus Himself. (John 1:1-14)
Some of the other songs on the show reveal
to me some other theological themes, whether intended or not. These are
metaphors that talk of some of the simplest childhood desires and pleasures-
but they also reveal something of the “eternity in our hearts” that God has
placed in all of us. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
One of my favorite songs on the show really drives this point home- “Somebody
Come and Play”. What a simple invitation but isn’t this
the longing we all have within us, both as children and teenagers and adults?
“Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and smile
the smiles and sing the songs- it won’t take long. Somebody come and play
today. Somebody come and play; somebody come and play my way- Somebody come and
rhyme the rhymes and laugh the laughs- it won’t take time. Somebody come and
play today. Somebody come with me and see the pleasure in the wind- Somebody
see the time is getting late to begin. Somebody come and play, somebody come
and play today- Somebody come and be my friend- and watch the sun until it
rains again. Somebody come and play today. (La la la la la la……..etc.) Somebody
come with me and see the pleasure in the wind- Somebody see the time is getting
late to begin. Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody
come and be my friend- and watch the sun until it rains again. Somebody come
and play today.” I hear this song and just think of Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, which talks of how
meaningless toil on this earth is and how a man can do nothing better than to
eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. But of course, this too is
from the hand of God- we really find no enjoyment without Him. As Ecclesiastes
2:10-11 tells us, even when Solomon denied himself no pleasure, he still found
that in all that he had done and toiled to achieve- it was all meaningless, a
chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Of course, while Ecclesiastes
3 speaks of a time and place for everything, the entire book reminds us of how
futile our efforts at pleasure and work and all that we do on Earth really are-
outside of God. The full duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments-
He’s the only One who brings any fulfillment in life. We all desire somebody to
come and play and be our friend because we all have a longing for
companionship. Adam felt it in the Garden of Eden when he realized that none of
the trees and plants or animals would do it- thus, God created Eve for Adam
because He saw it was not good for man to be alone. (Genesis 1:18)
And while The Bible definitely
tells us that he who finds a wife finds a good thing and a blessing from The
Lord- and this is certainly a great way that God has provided for that need in
our lives- but we also can’t find full satisfaction in any human being. We are
all fallible and we all let each other down. God Himself is the only One who
never does that and who is always faithful, loving us with an everlasting love.
(Jeremiah 31:3) And ultimately, He is the One we must look to first and
foremost to be our faithful, forever Friend and Father. (Psalms 73:24-28)
What about yet another simple statement that also carries such profound ideas
behind it? As Cookie Monster famously sang, “C is for Cookie”- and that’s good
enough for me.
Yes, “C” is for cookie. “C” is also for Calvary’s cross and covenant and
ultimately Christ- and that’s good enough for me. And He’s good enough for me.
Christ is my only righteousness, as I have none of my own. (Which numerous
passages make clear- Romans 3:10, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3, Romans 3:23, Isaiah
64:6). This is another incredible idea in God’s Word that we can’t fully
understand- but we trust and rest in it- and that is good enough for us.
Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that we are saved by grace alone. Hebrews 9:12-14
says that through Christ’s death and Resurrection, our consciences are cleared
when we trust in Him. His righteousness is imputed to us! God no longer sees
our sin when He then looks at us- He sees the righteousness of Christ instead!
(Romans 5:12-21 explains this beautifully!)
And then when we realize that
gift that God has given us in Jesus and we recognize the life that He has
called us to- He should truly become our magnificent obsession, much as Cookie
Monster has for cookies. As Colossians 3:1-4 tells us, we have died and our
lives are now hidden with Christ in God. Therefore, we must set our minds on
things above, not on things below. Ultimately, we must set our minds on Christ
and let Him become our only gain- and count everything else a loss.
(Philippians 3- particularly verse 8.) This is a picture of the desire and love
we should have for Jesus Christ. As Cookie Monster says- who cares about
anything else? C is for Christ- and He’s good enough for me.
And what should follow next but naturally
a song of praise and thanks to God for being “my very Best Friend- it’s true.”
And I can’t think of a song that better espouses this on Sesame Street than
Ernie’s classic ode to “Rubber Duckie”. Indeed, Lord Jesus- You’re The One. You
make everything so much fun. You are The Meaning and The Inspiration and The
Only One who makes something out of my life and life in general. Thank You for
giving us life eternal and life abundant. (John 10:10) I’m awfully fond of You,
to say the least. (Psalms 73)- Lord, sometimes You aren’t the most overwhelming
desire in my life as You should be. Forgive me for those times. Help me to keep
You on a pedestal above all else- nothing else in life matters more than You.
How could I ever settle for the emptiness of life apart from You? I can’t do
anything without You (John 15:5)- I need You, Lord Jesus- every hour I need
You, most gracious Lord. Thank You for always being there. But sometimes in this life of faith, that
old ugly man of sin rears his head again. It’s a sobering thing when I realize
“The Monster in the Mirror” is me. I’m starting with the man in the mirror- I’m
asking him to change his ways. But, much as I appreciate Michael Jackson’s
directive to start with myself and work on my own plankeye before I try to get
the speck out of my brother’s eye, I can’t do it on my own. It is me, oh Lord,
standing in the need of prayer. (Of course, we all are, really though- but
before I look to criticize my brother and sister in The Lord- I’m going to ask
You to cleanse me first.) (Psalms 139:23-24).
That struggle between the old nature of sin and new nature in Christ rages on-
and I am no one to judge anyone else because I do the same things! (Romans 2
and Romans 14). As Romans 7 says, what a wretched man I am! Who will save me
from this cycle of sin I keep getting caught in? Thanks be to God- He gives us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
And before we judge others, let’s seek to do unto them as we would have them do
unto us. (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). Remember the parable of the sheep and
the goats in Matthew 25- Those that we are quick, like Grover, to “wubba”
because they “wubba”ed us first- we must learn to love and learn to do good
things unto them. We must love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us.
And maybe we’ll come to realize that the people of low position we look down on
in life- all the ones we would never want to associate with- the ones perhaps
we would think of as monsters…. We are no better than them- we are the same-
all in the same boat. (James 2:10) We’ve all fallen and are in no place to
judge. (Matthew 7:1-3) Rather, speak the Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:15) and
love God with all we’ve got and love our neighbor as ourselves. Paul was one of
the greatest missionaries ever and a powerful man of God- but he never forgot
his past as a murderous enemy of God and persecutor of Jesus- just see 1
Timothy 1:15-17 for evidence. But God redeemed even the chief of sinners- and
He can redeem any who come to trust in Him. And He has the power to keep us
from stumbling (Jude 1:24-25) and keep us from temptation and deliver us from
the evil one- we have to trust Him for that and let Him pick us back up when we
do fall down. (Matthew 9:6-15 and 1 Corinthians 10:13) The saints are just the
sinners who fall down- and God picks back up.
And perhaps one of the most poignant songs ever recorded on Sesame Street (and of course, it has been performed on The Muppet Show and numerous other places)- Kermit’s swan song. (okay- frog song, I
guess. :-)). No, it’s not easy “Bein’ Green”- sometimes I do think it might be
nicer being red or yellow or gold- or something colorful like that. It seems
you blend in with so many other ordinary things and people tend to pass you
over ‘cause you’re not standing out from everyone else…. But green’s the color
of spring- and green can be cool and friendly-like. And green can be big like a
mountain or important like a river or tall like a tree. When green is all there
is to be- it could make you wonder why- but why wonder? Why wonder? I’m green-
and it’ll do fine. It’s beautiful- and I think it’s what I want to be.
Ultimately, this song speaks to me
about being the person that God made us to be. We are all made in His image
(Genesis 1:26)- every man and woman. And we are all made to be exactly the
person God made us to be. When we can learn to be happy with who God has made
us to be, we can learn how to love others better. It is then that we are not
comparing ourselves with others and making ourselves jealous and envious of
others- rather, we learn to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those
who mourn. (Romans 12:9-21). We learn to see The Divine in each other (by this,
I don’t mean in a New Age sense). Rather, I mean like what Matthew 25:40 says-
when we’ve done any kindness unto the least of Christ’s brethren- we’ve done it
unto Him. Feed the poor, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, invite in
the stranger, care for the sick and visit the imprisoned. When we can accept
ourselves as wonderfully and fearfully made in God’s image (Psalms 139) and
know that we are eternally loved by Him (Jeremiah 31:3, Hosea 11, Hosea
2:19-20, John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8) – we are set free to love others with that
same kind of Yahweh love that Isaiah 53 demonstrates.
And even if we do get lonely
in loving and serving Jesus, we know that first of all- He said we would get
ostracized by the world because we don’t belong to the world- we will be hated
by the world; but remember- it hated Him first. (John 15:18-27, Matthew 24:9)
And those who reject us aren’t really rejecting us anyway- we’re just the
messengers. It’s Christ they’re rejecting ultimately. But God has called us to
be separate in Christ.
(1 Peter 1:13-21 and 1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 13:11-14, Romans 12:1-2, 2
Corinthians 6:14-18, 2 Corinthians 7:1) He’s also called us to let our light
shine before men so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who
is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
And of course, the color green is the
color of growth- and we are continually growing in The Lord until the day of
completion and perfection in Heaven. (Philippians 1:6) Be praised for all Your
tenderness, Lord, by these works of Your hands. Suns that rise and rains that
fall to bless and bring to life Your land. Look down upon this winter wheat and
be glad that You have made blue for the sky and the color green that fills
these fields with praise! I’m happy to be who You made me to be. Keep making me
the person You want me to be. Thank You for always working in me and never
giving up on me and never leaving me. (Hebrews 13:5)
And another one of my all time favorite Sesame Street songs really wraps up the
ultimate longing we all have inside of us- the longing for Home. And of course,
for those who know Christ as Savior, our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians
3:20) and we eagerly await the Savior from there to come back for us- The Lord
Jesus Christ. One day He will return and will restore all things to what they
should be. “Behold, I make all things new!” (Revelation 21:5) And I think this
tender lullaby from Ernie brings out this idea well- ultimately, I want to be
Home- and that’s in Heaven with God. No matter where else I might go to try to
fill this longing- it doesn’t really satisfy. And that’s why “I Don’t Want To
Live On The Moon”.
As C.S. Lewis once wrote (and I’m paraphrasing some here)- If I discover a
longing inside myself that can’t be filled by anything in this world, the most
probable and logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
Sure, I’d like to visit the moon
and dance on a moonbeam there- I’d like to travel under the sea and meet all
the fish everywhere… I’d like to visit the jungle and hear the lions roar- I’d
like to go back and time and meet a dinosaur….there are so many strange places
I’d like to be, but none of them permanently…. But ultimately, I’d miss all the
people and places I love- none of these places are really Home…….. So if I should
visit the moon, I’ll dance on a moonbeam and then- I will make a wish on a star
(The Bright and Morning Star- Revelation 22:16)- and I’ll wish I was Home once
again.
This is the longing that Christ
will fulfill for all eternity in Revelation 21-22. And that truly is the end of
all the stories- the term is over and the holidays have begun. The dream is
over- this is the morning! :-) And that’s where The Story truly begins- The One
that goes on for eternity- and every page is better than the one before!
And until we reach Heaven’s gates, the most appropriate response I can think
of, in gratitude to Jesus for all He’s done for us and continues to do for us
and will do for us- is the simple exhortation to “Sing”. Sing. Sing a song-sing
out loud, sing out strong. Sing of good things- not bad. Sing of happy- not
sad. Sing- sing a song. Make it simple to last your whole life long. Don’t
worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear-sing- sing a song! La
la la la la la! :-)
Sing a song of praise to God! (Psalms 95:1-2, Psalms 100, Psalms 101:1)
My life will be a song of praise to You, Lord Jesus. “May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and
my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14)
(And one other cool thing to note about this song- it’s sung in both English
and Spanish. What a cool reminder that one day we who know Christ as Savior
will be among a great cloud of witnesses- a multitude from every tribe,
language, race and tongue and all praising God together forever in eternity! –
Revelation 7:9-17 gives us this beautiful picture.) Amen! Praise The Lord! Soli
Deo Gloria!
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Songs to the God of my life
"For You are the God in Whom I take refuge; why have You rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" (Psalms 43:2)
"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God." (Psalms 42:5 and 11)
"O Lord, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry! For my soul is full of troubles and my life draws near to Sheol." (Psalms 88:1-3)
"But I, O Lord, cry to You; in the morning my prayer comes before You. O Lord, why do You cast my soul away? Why do You hide Your face from me?" (Psalms 88:18)
"Consider the work of God: who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him." (Ecclesiastes 7:13-14)
I am so glad that The Lord included verses like these in The Bible. There are so many times in life when it might feel like "the darkness is my only friend" (as the end of Psalms 88 says) and that I just am not close to God or I just am not hearing from Him or something. Sometimes I cry out to God and my only answer is the silence of God. Sometimes it feels like He's playing hard to get; of course, I think He and His ways are just plain hard to get. (Isaiah 55:8-9) I'm glad that there is still joy in the journey though- and I do know that in the end, The Lord is always there and never leaves or forsakes me. Instead, He suffers alongside me. I trust in The God Who is not distant- the God Who is always very near- the God Who left His throne to come to earth for me and suffer alongside me. As Moses left the palace of Egypt to suffer alongside his people, so Jesus left His Heavenly throne and palace to suffer alongside His people that He had made who went astray from Him.
"For because He himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted." (Hebrews 2:18)
(See also Hebrews 4:14-16 and all of 11 and 12:1-17 and all of Romans 8.) We have to keep looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In our struggle against sin, we haven't yet resisted to the point of shedding our blood- but He did. Jesus spent the hours leading up to His crucifixion weeping alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, begging God the Father to take the cup from Him if possible- but nevertheless, Thy will be done! His friends couldn't even watch an hour with Him.
And in the horrible suffering Jesus endured- not merely in the physical- but also in the spiritual sense- the moment when He was ripped from the presence of God and felt as utterly cast out as the psalmist in Psalms 88- when He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might be justified- He suffered incredible pain and loss- but He also overcame it. He rose again and defeated sin, death, the devil and hell- so that none of us would ever have to face eternal punishment. He bought us our salvation at an incredibly high price. "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His Name." (Hebrews 13:13-15)
For the moments that I feel faint like Relient K, I know that you should never underestimate my Jesus because He will be strong when I am not. And even when I can't feel Him near and I don't think I'm getting any answers and I feel rejected, lonely, in pain and suffering and all alone- I will still trust and know that He's here. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (Job 13:15)
Three of my favorite songs express this so well in different ways. (I love how all three of these speak of how we share with Jesus- not just in His glory when we are with Him in Heaven- but also in His suffering.) These are not the kind of songs you sing at church for worship, even though I think they sure can be a form of worship. It's a brazen, raw and honest outpouring of the heart to God- something that I think God loves to see and something I strive to do in prayer. I'm glad to know He's always listening and still giving rest to all those who take up His yoke. (Matthew 11:28-30) Whether I always feel it or not, I trust that that verse is true. And I trust that ultimately, our present suffering can't compare with the glory coming!
"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God." (Psalms 42:5 and 11)
"O Lord, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry! For my soul is full of troubles and my life draws near to Sheol." (Psalms 88:1-3)
"But I, O Lord, cry to You; in the morning my prayer comes before You. O Lord, why do You cast my soul away? Why do You hide Your face from me?" (Psalms 88:18)
"Consider the work of God: who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him." (Ecclesiastes 7:13-14)
I am so glad that The Lord included verses like these in The Bible. There are so many times in life when it might feel like "the darkness is my only friend" (as the end of Psalms 88 says) and that I just am not close to God or I just am not hearing from Him or something. Sometimes I cry out to God and my only answer is the silence of God. Sometimes it feels like He's playing hard to get; of course, I think He and His ways are just plain hard to get. (Isaiah 55:8-9) I'm glad that there is still joy in the journey though- and I do know that in the end, The Lord is always there and never leaves or forsakes me. Instead, He suffers alongside me. I trust in The God Who is not distant- the God Who is always very near- the God Who left His throne to come to earth for me and suffer alongside me. As Moses left the palace of Egypt to suffer alongside his people, so Jesus left His Heavenly throne and palace to suffer alongside His people that He had made who went astray from Him.
"For because He himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted." (Hebrews 2:18)
(See also Hebrews 4:14-16 and all of 11 and 12:1-17 and all of Romans 8.) We have to keep looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In our struggle against sin, we haven't yet resisted to the point of shedding our blood- but He did. Jesus spent the hours leading up to His crucifixion weeping alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, begging God the Father to take the cup from Him if possible- but nevertheless, Thy will be done! His friends couldn't even watch an hour with Him.
And in the horrible suffering Jesus endured- not merely in the physical- but also in the spiritual sense- the moment when He was ripped from the presence of God and felt as utterly cast out as the psalmist in Psalms 88- when He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might be justified- He suffered incredible pain and loss- but He also overcame it. He rose again and defeated sin, death, the devil and hell- so that none of us would ever have to face eternal punishment. He bought us our salvation at an incredibly high price. "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His Name." (Hebrews 13:13-15)
For the moments that I feel faint like Relient K, I know that you should never underestimate my Jesus because He will be strong when I am not. And even when I can't feel Him near and I don't think I'm getting any answers and I feel rejected, lonely, in pain and suffering and all alone- I will still trust and know that He's here. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (Job 13:15)
Three of my favorite songs express this so well in different ways. (I love how all three of these speak of how we share with Jesus- not just in His glory when we are with Him in Heaven- but also in His suffering.) These are not the kind of songs you sing at church for worship, even though I think they sure can be a form of worship. It's a brazen, raw and honest outpouring of the heart to God- something that I think God loves to see and something I strive to do in prayer. I'm glad to know He's always listening and still giving rest to all those who take up His yoke. (Matthew 11:28-30) Whether I always feel it or not, I trust that that verse is true. And I trust that ultimately, our present suffering can't compare with the glory coming!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fIP_bKxjLs
("Joy in the Journey" by Michael Card- one of my favorite theologian songwriters- an encouraging song that acknowledges the weariness that comes in the journey while we are strangers on this earth in the time of our exile. (1 Peter 1:17-19)) "Who belong to eternity stranded in time and weary of struggling with sin."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2STr5qPlIM
("Hard to Get" by Rich Mullins- one of my all-time favorite songwriters period! And one of my Christian heroes. I love how both this song and Michael Card's song speak of the comparisons between our present state and God's state. "You who live in eternity hear the prayers of those of us who live in time." (1 John 5:14)
("Hard to Get" by Rich Mullins- one of my all-time favorite songwriters period! And one of my Christian heroes. I love how both this song and Michael Card's song speak of the comparisons between our present state and God's state. "You who live in eternity hear the prayers of those of us who live in time." (1 John 5:14)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvytewIxll0
("The Silence of God" by Andrew Peterson- one of my newest favorites. Andrew Peterson is a huge fan of Rich Mullins as well and it's evident from his songs, though he has his own poetic style as well. He's also a fan of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien! This song speaks so well to the aching and hurt that comes with hearing only the silence of God in response to our cries. But it doesn't mean that God doesn't hear us- "And The Man of all Sorrows, He never forgot what sorrow is carried by the hearts that He bought." (Hebrews 12:1-4)
("The Silence of God" by Andrew Peterson- one of my newest favorites. Andrew Peterson is a huge fan of Rich Mullins as well and it's evident from his songs, though he has his own poetic style as well. He's also a fan of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien! This song speaks so well to the aching and hurt that comes with hearing only the silence of God in response to our cries. But it doesn't mean that God doesn't hear us- "And The Man of all Sorrows, He never forgot what sorrow is carried by the hearts that He bought." (Hebrews 12:1-4)
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Poems, Prayers and Promises- and Praises
As the title of the post says, this is a collection of a few writings I've done in the last few days. And since it fits the title, I thought I'd borrow and slightly amend the classic John Denver song title. :-) (I love this song and so many others by him.) And these are some of things that I believe in- how sweet it is to love someone- and even sweeter still, to be loved by Someone. How right it is to care! And it's so good to know that I am invited by The Lord of all- Jesus Christ Himself- to cast all my cares on Him because He cares for me. (1 Peter 5:7) So this is a poem and a prayer inspired by His many promises- and they all help to compose a love song for my Savior from my heart. I hope it touches and inspires yours to be drawn closer to His.
...........................................
The Wait of Glory
(poem by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 1/6/2015)
(Romans 8, Ecclesiastes 1 and 3:1-11, Jude 1:24-25, Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 11-12, Hebrews 2 and 3:1-6, Psalms 23, Psalms 73, Romans 5:1-11, Psalms 8, 1 Peter 5:1-4, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 4-5, 1 Corinthians 13:12, 2 Thessalonians 3:13, Revelation 21:1-5 and 22:20-21)
(*Much thanks to C.S. Lewis for being awesome and writing "The Weight of Glory")
If everyone I encounter is no mere mortal-
Like the angels, but a little lower
Then the weight of glory weighs heavy upon each crown.
And no matter how rough the edges, a diamond still lies within us each.
And like the glowing orb of the night must go through its phases,
The moon's Maker must put us through our paces to get to new places.
The pressure cooker of life shapes our malleable coal all throughout
As we travail in this mortal coil that constantly unwinds
Even as we frantically try to rewind each frame.
We either rise to each occasion or lie our heads down in defeat.
And even when we do stand and fight, do we pose and posture
only for our own posterity and prosperity
Or is there a deeper passion pressing us on towards the paternal Power we truly desire,
whether we know it or not?
The planet pants with pangs like childbirth beneath a flustered façade of pleasure in pursuits.
It's the suffering that our all wise Teacher uses to bring the truth to light.
All is vanity- everything is meaningless- nothing is sound.
Our hollow pursuits distract us in a race against time to chase the wind-
And that's exactly what we inherit as well.
Oh, hollow men- beat your empty chests in despair
But only One Rock shapes a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
Of the making of books there is no end- and no end of study can even get us close.
Come with weary bodies and souls to rest in the eternal arms of a Friend.
Let The Holy Wind whistle in your ear and whisper in your heart.
The chase is on but gentle North Wind has pursued us before we even began to run-
and with the taste of blood in our mouth, He's won.
The groans of glory are carried before our tired lips can utter them right to the throne.
And while our crown weighs heavy in life and heads hang low,
we bear the thorns in our side like the thorns another crown composed.
And The One who bore it knew the glory coming when all His brothers were gathered to Him.
The Paragon of Love bequeathed to us our share in His kingdom purchased by His suffering.
And we take our share in the suffering too,
knowing the Godliness and goodness it produces in due time.
And while our weeping may endure for a night, our Joy cometh in the morning.
And though we doubt, question and cry in agony at the pain,
we pray for the day it ends once for all-
and continue in the cross-marked path with the cheers of our ragamuffin pilgrim peers in our ears.
We hope in The One Who loves us beyond all measure with no end.
And we know the suffering we bear together with all our foibles, worries and cares
will have its end at the end.
And He Whose heart is eternally, wonderfully kind doles to each day its part of toil and trouble,
knowing the crop they bring that He desires.
And as our mortal coal gets refined into a diamond,
we glow ever more like the Precious Jewel- the Pricely Pearl Whose reflection we are.
And though we may never understand it all, we trust Him through it all to the glory we shall share-
to which the suffering can't compare.
And through the wait of glory to the Blessed Day, Jesus leads me all the way.
...........................................
The only One Whose power, awesomeness and importance can never be overstated is Jesus. Heaven and earth can't contain Him (2 Chronicles 6:14-18). Indeed, of all the many praises sung of Him in the Psalms and throughout The Bible and the ages- even through all the worship and praise that we will ascribe to Him for eternity (Philippians 2:10-11 -Everyone will bow to Him and praise Him as Lord of all- and Hell will forever praise His justice and righteous judgment and Heaven will forever praise His loving mercy and amazing grace.)- Even as the four living beings continually cry, 'Holy, Holy, Holy' without ceasing (Revelation 4)- even with all this plethora of words of worship and prostrate bows of praise and songs of thanksgiving and adoration evidenced by righteous living- amidst all this through all history and beyond, ad infinitum- 'Who can utter the mighty deeds of The Lord, or declare all His praise?' (Psalms 106:2) God The Father Himself glorifies His Name in all His works (John 12:28, 10:54)- Our words are not enough and they fall woefully short, but with all that is in us we will offer them for infinity and praise His holy Name. Bless The Lord, all my soul and all that is within me- bless His holy Name. He has done great things and has become my salvation. (Psalms 103) 'Praise The Lord! Oh give thanks to The Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.' (Psalms 106:1) Thank You, Lord Jesus for being awesome and loving us so much that You died and rose to give us salvation when we put faith in You and follow You. Thank You, Holy Spirit for Your wise counsel and for expressing the groans of my heart that my words cannot. (Romans 8:26-27). Thank You, Heavenly Father for life and abundant life and a beautiful planet with wonderful plants, animals and people to share it with. All praise to Thee, Blessed Trinity. It's never enough, Father, so I'll just keep saying, 'Thank You' and 'Praise You' for all eternity with all my love that You gave to me first. (1John 4:10-19) Thank You for Your everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)- And Your praise goes on...
..............................................
...........................................
The Wait of Glory
(poem by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 1/6/2015)
(Romans 8, Ecclesiastes 1 and 3:1-11, Jude 1:24-25, Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 11-12, Hebrews 2 and 3:1-6, Psalms 23, Psalms 73, Romans 5:1-11, Psalms 8, 1 Peter 5:1-4, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 4-5, 1 Corinthians 13:12, 2 Thessalonians 3:13, Revelation 21:1-5 and 22:20-21)
(*Much thanks to C.S. Lewis for being awesome and writing "The Weight of Glory")
If everyone I encounter is no mere mortal-
Like the angels, but a little lower
Then the weight of glory weighs heavy upon each crown.
And no matter how rough the edges, a diamond still lies within us each.
And like the glowing orb of the night must go through its phases,
The moon's Maker must put us through our paces to get to new places.
The pressure cooker of life shapes our malleable coal all throughout
As we travail in this mortal coil that constantly unwinds
Even as we frantically try to rewind each frame.
We either rise to each occasion or lie our heads down in defeat.
And even when we do stand and fight, do we pose and posture
only for our own posterity and prosperity
Or is there a deeper passion pressing us on towards the paternal Power we truly desire,
whether we know it or not?
The planet pants with pangs like childbirth beneath a flustered façade of pleasure in pursuits.
It's the suffering that our all wise Teacher uses to bring the truth to light.
All is vanity- everything is meaningless- nothing is sound.
Our hollow pursuits distract us in a race against time to chase the wind-
And that's exactly what we inherit as well.
Oh, hollow men- beat your empty chests in despair
But only One Rock shapes a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
Of the making of books there is no end- and no end of study can even get us close.
Come with weary bodies and souls to rest in the eternal arms of a Friend.
Let The Holy Wind whistle in your ear and whisper in your heart.
The chase is on but gentle North Wind has pursued us before we even began to run-
and with the taste of blood in our mouth, He's won.
The groans of glory are carried before our tired lips can utter them right to the throne.
And while our crown weighs heavy in life and heads hang low,
we bear the thorns in our side like the thorns another crown composed.
And The One who bore it knew the glory coming when all His brothers were gathered to Him.
The Paragon of Love bequeathed to us our share in His kingdom purchased by His suffering.
And we take our share in the suffering too,
knowing the Godliness and goodness it produces in due time.
And while our weeping may endure for a night, our Joy cometh in the morning.
And though we doubt, question and cry in agony at the pain,
we pray for the day it ends once for all-
and continue in the cross-marked path with the cheers of our ragamuffin pilgrim peers in our ears.
We hope in The One Who loves us beyond all measure with no end.
And we know the suffering we bear together with all our foibles, worries and cares
will have its end at the end.
And He Whose heart is eternally, wonderfully kind doles to each day its part of toil and trouble,
knowing the crop they bring that He desires.
And as our mortal coal gets refined into a diamond,
we glow ever more like the Precious Jewel- the Pricely Pearl Whose reflection we are.
And though we may never understand it all, we trust Him through it all to the glory we shall share-
to which the suffering can't compare.
And through the wait of glory to the Blessed Day, Jesus leads me all the way.
...........................................
The only One Whose power, awesomeness and importance can never be overstated is Jesus. Heaven and earth can't contain Him (2 Chronicles 6:14-18). Indeed, of all the many praises sung of Him in the Psalms and throughout The Bible and the ages- even through all the worship and praise that we will ascribe to Him for eternity (Philippians 2:10-11 -Everyone will bow to Him and praise Him as Lord of all- and Hell will forever praise His justice and righteous judgment and Heaven will forever praise His loving mercy and amazing grace.)- Even as the four living beings continually cry, 'Holy, Holy, Holy' without ceasing (Revelation 4)- even with all this plethora of words of worship and prostrate bows of praise and songs of thanksgiving and adoration evidenced by righteous living- amidst all this through all history and beyond, ad infinitum- 'Who can utter the mighty deeds of The Lord, or declare all His praise?' (Psalms 106:2) God The Father Himself glorifies His Name in all His works (John 12:28, 10:54)- Our words are not enough and they fall woefully short, but with all that is in us we will offer them for infinity and praise His holy Name. Bless The Lord, all my soul and all that is within me- bless His holy Name. He has done great things and has become my salvation. (Psalms 103) 'Praise The Lord! Oh give thanks to The Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.' (Psalms 106:1) Thank You, Lord Jesus for being awesome and loving us so much that You died and rose to give us salvation when we put faith in You and follow You. Thank You, Holy Spirit for Your wise counsel and for expressing the groans of my heart that my words cannot. (Romans 8:26-27). Thank You, Heavenly Father for life and abundant life and a beautiful planet with wonderful plants, animals and people to share it with. All praise to Thee, Blessed Trinity. It's never enough, Father, so I'll just keep saying, 'Thank You' and 'Praise You' for all eternity with all my love that You gave to me first. (1John 4:10-19) Thank You for Your everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)- And Your praise goes on...
..............................................
"And even though I've never seen Your face- I'm missin' You. 'Cause somewhere behind those stars is Someone who belongs to me and I know in my deepest heart- there's a place for You. Until I find the place You've made for me, I'm missin' You."- "Missin' You" by Chris Rice
...........
"I'll be running to Your throne with every nation, tribe and tongue- To Your arms I'll fly, I'll gaze into Your eyes- then I'll know as I am known- and Your praise goes on." - "And Your Praise Goes On" by Chris Rice
I love You, Jesus. Thank You for loving and knowing me. Help me as I seek to know You better, Lord. (1 John 4:10-11 and 4:19, 1 Corinthians 13:12) Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. (Matthew 6:9-13) Help me to be more like You each day and to represent better to the world what Your kingdom of peace looks like even as we anticipate and pray for You to come and bring Your kingdom of peace to earth one day. (Revelation 21:1-5, Revelation 22:20-21). Help us to continue in the struggle and through the suffering, knowing You went through far, far worse for our sakes- and knowing that the suffering is not worth comparing to the glory coming. (Romans 8:18-30, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 5:1-11) Help us to wait with patience and to endure with joy and peace, the joy and peace that only You give. (Nehemiah 8:10, John 14:27) And help us to never tire of doing what's right. (2 Thessalonians 3:13). It's all for You and for Your glory (1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:23)- and by Your strength alone. (2 Corinthians 12:1-10) Use me to bring Your Name glory and to help show others Your love so that they may come to know and follow You too. (2 Peter 3:9, Acts 4:20) Thank You and praise You for all Your many blessings and the comfort of knowing You are in control always and even in the midst of Your righteous justice, You also remember Your lovingkindness that is better than life and Your steadfast everlasting love that never fails. (Jeremiah 31:3, Psalms 136) And thank You for family and friends that help encourage me along the narrow path. (Psalms 133, Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 18:24) Thank You for never abandoning us and for always providing for us and for leading us all the way. (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:19, Psalms 23)
Love,
Thy faithful servant I fain would be- Lord, I believe- help Thou my unbelief- Thank You that You never let go (John 10:28)
Yours- Nathan.
.............................................
BONUS! :-)
Some links to some totally awesome songs that inspired some of these writings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkGCmrjzJJ0
("Missin' You" by Chris Rice)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPwYyj6uR1U
("And Your Praise Goes On" by Chris Rice)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMPUpBkpp9o
("Land of my Sojourn" by Rich Mullins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3l_LlfsZmI
("All the Way My Savior Leads Me" as covered by Rich Mullins)
...........
"I'll be running to Your throne with every nation, tribe and tongue- To Your arms I'll fly, I'll gaze into Your eyes- then I'll know as I am known- and Your praise goes on." - "And Your Praise Goes On" by Chris Rice
I love You, Jesus. Thank You for loving and knowing me. Help me as I seek to know You better, Lord. (1 John 4:10-11 and 4:19, 1 Corinthians 13:12) Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. (Matthew 6:9-13) Help me to be more like You each day and to represent better to the world what Your kingdom of peace looks like even as we anticipate and pray for You to come and bring Your kingdom of peace to earth one day. (Revelation 21:1-5, Revelation 22:20-21). Help us to continue in the struggle and through the suffering, knowing You went through far, far worse for our sakes- and knowing that the suffering is not worth comparing to the glory coming. (Romans 8:18-30, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 5:1-11) Help us to wait with patience and to endure with joy and peace, the joy and peace that only You give. (Nehemiah 8:10, John 14:27) And help us to never tire of doing what's right. (2 Thessalonians 3:13). It's all for You and for Your glory (1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:23)- and by Your strength alone. (2 Corinthians 12:1-10) Use me to bring Your Name glory and to help show others Your love so that they may come to know and follow You too. (2 Peter 3:9, Acts 4:20) Thank You and praise You for all Your many blessings and the comfort of knowing You are in control always and even in the midst of Your righteous justice, You also remember Your lovingkindness that is better than life and Your steadfast everlasting love that never fails. (Jeremiah 31:3, Psalms 136) And thank You for family and friends that help encourage me along the narrow path. (Psalms 133, Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 18:24) Thank You for never abandoning us and for always providing for us and for leading us all the way. (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:19, Psalms 23)
Love,
Thy faithful servant I fain would be- Lord, I believe- help Thou my unbelief- Thank You that You never let go (John 10:28)
Yours- Nathan.
.............................................
BONUS! :-)
Some links to some totally awesome songs that inspired some of these writings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkGCmrjzJJ0
("Missin' You" by Chris Rice)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPwYyj6uR1U
("And Your Praise Goes On" by Chris Rice)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMPUpBkpp9o
("Land of my Sojourn" by Rich Mullins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3l_LlfsZmI
("All the Way My Savior Leads Me" as covered by Rich Mullins)
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sacred Mountain High (Song)
It’s easy to forget sometimes that even the disciples
struggled with doubts, worries and fears. Even though they had the pleasure of
basking in the Sonshine on their shoulders, they still didn’t quite get it all.
One day Jesus took Peter, James and John and showed that all the poems, prayers
and promises they had heard about Him from The Scriptures were true. They took
a camping trip to the mountains and had a real rocky mountain high- and a
sacred mountain high, when they got an awesome picture of Jesus in all His
splendor and glory. This is one experience that helped it all sink in for them
and helped them understand just Who it was who called to them, “Follow Me.”
“Sacred Mountain High”
(Parody of “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver)
(Matthew 16:13-20, Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 8:27-9:13, Luke 9:18-36, 2 Peter 1:12-21)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 2/19/2014)
Jesus polled His disciples- Mark 8:27th. verse
“Tell Me, Who do they say I AM?” asked The Lord
“The Baptizer John, Elijah, and some say a prophet come again”
“What do you say?”- Pronounced Peter, “He’s Christ The Lord”
An excursion to the mountains- ‘cause Christ wants to go pray
Only goes with James and Peter and John
And the things that He had spoken that they didn’t really catch
They’ll believe at last and this will help them along
It’s called in The Bible- Transfiguration of Christ
A scene of His reigning high and glorified
Foreshadows by the bright light, the luster of His holy light
God is glorified! (all around, yo!)
Sacred mountain high (high up down in Israel)
They climbed a high, tall mountain- and left city crowds below
They saw Jesus’ clothes whiter than you can bleach
17 Matt. says His face just shone with a light just like the sun
Mark and Luke 9, friends, recount the memories
Now He talks on all He’s gonna do with Moses and Elijah
Leaving grace in every step He takes
Disciples are beside themselves to try and understand
Christ’s divinity- how more clear can it be made?
And a cloud surrounds them- rocks their world, alright?
They’re hearing Father’s voice from the sky
Talk from God says, “Listen to My beloved Son Christ”
God is glorified! (all around- whoa!)
Sacred mountain high (high up out in Israel)
Now their eyes are full of wonder but their hearts still know some fear
Bowed down fearfully- Then The Master touches them
When they pry their eyes back open now, it’s just them and Christ The Lord
Now Peter and James and John must ask
Why the law profs. say first must come Eli(jah)
Christ said he came- they didn’t recognize
And just like The Son of Man- He will suffer by their hands in time
God sent Christ to die
For desperadoes- every girl and guy
Christ’s rise obtaining us eternal life
Friend Christ now with candor and everything’s alright!
Got eternal life! (Life in Paradise- yo!)
All through Jesus Christ! (Life and Way and Truth- yo!)
God is glorified! (2 [Two] Peter 1:17 [one seventeen], yo!)
Sacred mountain high (high up out in Israel)
Sacred mountain high (high up out in Israel)
God is glorified! (on high for all time- yo!)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
“Sacred Mountain High”
(Parody of “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver)
(Matthew 16:13-20, Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 8:27-9:13, Luke 9:18-36, 2 Peter 1:12-21)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 2/19/2014)
Jesus polled His disciples- Mark 8:27th. verse
“Tell Me, Who do they say I AM?” asked The Lord
“The Baptizer John, Elijah, and some say a prophet come again”
“What do you say?”- Pronounced Peter, “He’s Christ The Lord”
An excursion to the mountains- ‘cause Christ wants to go pray
Only goes with James and Peter and John
And the things that He had spoken that they didn’t really catch
They’ll believe at last and this will help them along
It’s called in The Bible- Transfiguration of Christ
A scene of His reigning high and glorified
Foreshadows by the bright light, the luster of His holy light
God is glorified! (all around, yo!)
Sacred mountain high (high up down in Israel)
They climbed a high, tall mountain- and left city crowds below
They saw Jesus’ clothes whiter than you can bleach
17 Matt. says His face just shone with a light just like the sun
Mark and Luke 9, friends, recount the memories
Now He talks on all He’s gonna do with Moses and Elijah
Leaving grace in every step He takes
Disciples are beside themselves to try and understand
Christ’s divinity- how more clear can it be made?
And a cloud surrounds them- rocks their world, alright?
They’re hearing Father’s voice from the sky
Talk from God says, “Listen to My beloved Son Christ”
God is glorified! (all around- whoa!)
Sacred mountain high (high up out in Israel)
Now their eyes are full of wonder but their hearts still know some fear
Bowed down fearfully- Then The Master touches them
When they pry their eyes back open now, it’s just them and Christ The Lord
Now Peter and James and John must ask
Why the law profs. say first must come Eli(jah)
Christ said he came- they didn’t recognize
And just like The Son of Man- He will suffer by their hands in time
God sent Christ to die
For desperadoes- every girl and guy
Christ’s rise obtaining us eternal life
Friend Christ now with candor and everything’s alright!
Got eternal life! (Life in Paradise- yo!)
All through Jesus Christ! (Life and Way and Truth- yo!)
God is glorified! (2 [Two] Peter 1:17 [one seventeen], yo!)
Sacred mountain high (high up out in Israel)
Sacred mountain high (high up out in Israel)
God is glorified! (on high for all time- yo!)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Relient K- "Collapsible Lung" album review
Relient K- “Collapsible Lung”
review
Let me
say a few things to preface this deal. I LOVE Relient K! I have been a fan of
this band since its first major label album in 2000 and I still am. I have seen
them in concert a couple of times and I’d LOVE to go see them play again. I
LOVE all the albums and this one is certainly no exception. In short, I LOVE
this album. This is an incredibly honest view of society today, of love and
values and perhaps also a reflection of the spiritual journey the lead singer’s
been through lately. As a rule, Matt Thiessen has most always written songs
based on his own experiences and I would say that may well be what the songs on
this album represent.
In keeping with the last album released, no lyrics are included with the actual CD release. (Bummer- but oh well.) For those who don’t have the benefit of having the physical CD release, let me note a few things that may be of help to know. I know that the band apparently got a lot of outside help on this album in co-writing songs and such. I don’t know how much lyrics were brought in from outside writers or not, but here’s the breakdown according to the CD.
“Don’t Blink” by Matthew Hoopes and Matthew Thiessen
“Boomerang” by Matthew Thiessen, Evan Bogart and Ari Levine
“Lost Boy” by Matthew Thiessen, Greg Wattenberg, Matt Musto, Derek Fuhrman
“If I Could Take You Home” by Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes, Fernando Garribay
“Can’t Complain” by Matthew Thiessen, Brian Lee and Emily Wright
“Gloria” by Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes, Tim Pagnotta and Ari Levine
“PTL” by Matthew Thiessen, Caleb Owens and Matt Musto
“Disaster” by Matthew Thiessen
“When You Were My Baby” by Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes and Caleb Owens
“Sweeter” by Matthew Thiessen and Caleb Owens
“Collapsible Lung” by Matthew Thiessen and Matthew Hoopes
Once again, the band has a joint statement of thanks printed.
“We would like to thank God for the opportunity to make music. We would also like to sincerely thank our friends, families & loved ones, as well as every person involved in the making of this record.”
They still clearly thank God for all He has done and they clearly acknowledge His presence and working in the songs as well. Let me also say this- Relient K is still just a band and they’re just musicians trying to live their lives for Christ. And they sometimes fail as we all do. Thank God for His grace given to us through Jesus! So I don’t know all the details of all their lives and I don’t stand in judgment on them. I’m not going to try to speculate on what may or may not have been or is going on in their lives. I’m just going to try to look for clues in the song lyrics and see what each may be driving at- I could be wrong in my interpretation of course- and I certainly could be reading too much into things- but here are the things I pick up from the “Collapsible Lung” album. (I think it may be easiest to post the lyrics for each song for the purposes of analysis, so that is what I will do with this.)
“Don’t Blink” – I like that this is the first song on the album. I think it kicks things off well and perhaps is a throwback to where we left things at the end of the “Forget and Not Slow Down” album. I view this song as a statement of resolve; a song that makes a declarative statement- to forget and not slow down- but at the same time- don’t blink because you might miss life along the way. I think it’s perhaps also reflective of the singer’s plan to get back to where he was in following God before and trust that His forgiveness and grace will carry him forward once again.
The lyrics are telling-
“Don't know where to go from here
My thoughts are tangled twisted fears
Been waiting a while now on the dawn
Seems like the sun may never come
I made my way through the darkest night
To the break of day on the other side
For some time the light's been creeping in
Now I'm feeling like I could trust again
You're the only Person who reminds me
Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new
Oh, You're the only Person who reminds me
Hold on now
Don't you blink or it's gone
I've been terrified of life for way too long
Oh, no now don't you blink or it's gone
In another life who knows what we'd become?
Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new
Been making plans and drawing maps
I plan to take the righteous path
And hope and pray it leads me back
To all the happiness I had
Been making lists and crossing off
Every kiss that wasn't love
And every word that stretched the truth
Like when she said she loved me
You're the only person who reminds me
Hold on now
Don't you blink or it's gone
I've been terrified of life for way too long
Oh, no now don't you blink or it's gone
In another life who knows what we'd become?
Hold on now
Don't you blink or it's gone
Oh oh oh oh
Oh, no now don't you blink or it's gone
In another life who knows what we'd become?
Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new
Been making lists and crossing off
Every kiss that wasn't love
And every word that stretched the truth
Like when she said she loved me”
-In the first two paragraphs, it is reminiscent to me of Psalms 23 –
“I made my way through the darkest night
To the break of day on the other side
For some time the light's been creeping in
Now I'm feeling like I could trust again”
- “Yea though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff- they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4)
Now, I could be off, but I really think this song (and album) is reflecting on the singer’s attempts to find meaning, peace and security in human relationships (particularly romantic boyfriend/girlfriend relationships)- and finding that even the best of human relationships fails. I think this is a song where he’s coming back to God and finding the incredibly true and hopeful realization that- after everyone else fails and abandons me- “You’re the only Person who reminds me Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new -Oh, You're the only Person who reminds me.” And of course, Jesus is Love. And He is beautiful and true and new. He’s the only One who can really give us true love and true life. Then we have an exhortation to hold on and not blink- but rather enjoy life because “The Lord giveth and The Lord taketh away- may The Name of The Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21) “In another life, who knows what we’d become?” –I think this line could work either way- possibly a reference to the new eternal life we’ll have with Jesus in Heaven, but also a reference to another life path where we walk with Jesus at the forefront of our relationship- and we could have a much better relationship with Him there in the center.
“Been making plans and drawing maps
I plan to take the righteous path
And hope and pray it leads me back
To all the happiness I had
Been making lists and crossing off
Every kiss that wasn't love
And every word that stretched the truth
Like when she said she loved me”
In keeping with the last album released, no lyrics are included with the actual CD release. (Bummer- but oh well.) For those who don’t have the benefit of having the physical CD release, let me note a few things that may be of help to know. I know that the band apparently got a lot of outside help on this album in co-writing songs and such. I don’t know how much lyrics were brought in from outside writers or not, but here’s the breakdown according to the CD.
“Don’t Blink” by Matthew Hoopes and Matthew Thiessen
“Boomerang” by Matthew Thiessen, Evan Bogart and Ari Levine
“Lost Boy” by Matthew Thiessen, Greg Wattenberg, Matt Musto, Derek Fuhrman
“If I Could Take You Home” by Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes, Fernando Garribay
“Can’t Complain” by Matthew Thiessen, Brian Lee and Emily Wright
“Gloria” by Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes, Tim Pagnotta and Ari Levine
“PTL” by Matthew Thiessen, Caleb Owens and Matt Musto
“Disaster” by Matthew Thiessen
“When You Were My Baby” by Matthew Thiessen, Matthew Hoopes and Caleb Owens
“Sweeter” by Matthew Thiessen and Caleb Owens
“Collapsible Lung” by Matthew Thiessen and Matthew Hoopes
Once again, the band has a joint statement of thanks printed.
“We would like to thank God for the opportunity to make music. We would also like to sincerely thank our friends, families & loved ones, as well as every person involved in the making of this record.”
They still clearly thank God for all He has done and they clearly acknowledge His presence and working in the songs as well. Let me also say this- Relient K is still just a band and they’re just musicians trying to live their lives for Christ. And they sometimes fail as we all do. Thank God for His grace given to us through Jesus! So I don’t know all the details of all their lives and I don’t stand in judgment on them. I’m not going to try to speculate on what may or may not have been or is going on in their lives. I’m just going to try to look for clues in the song lyrics and see what each may be driving at- I could be wrong in my interpretation of course- and I certainly could be reading too much into things- but here are the things I pick up from the “Collapsible Lung” album. (I think it may be easiest to post the lyrics for each song for the purposes of analysis, so that is what I will do with this.)
“Don’t Blink” – I like that this is the first song on the album. I think it kicks things off well and perhaps is a throwback to where we left things at the end of the “Forget and Not Slow Down” album. I view this song as a statement of resolve; a song that makes a declarative statement- to forget and not slow down- but at the same time- don’t blink because you might miss life along the way. I think it’s perhaps also reflective of the singer’s plan to get back to where he was in following God before and trust that His forgiveness and grace will carry him forward once again.
The lyrics are telling-
“Don't know where to go from here
My thoughts are tangled twisted fears
Been waiting a while now on the dawn
Seems like the sun may never come
I made my way through the darkest night
To the break of day on the other side
For some time the light's been creeping in
Now I'm feeling like I could trust again
You're the only Person who reminds me
Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new
Oh, You're the only Person who reminds me
Hold on now
Don't you blink or it's gone
I've been terrified of life for way too long
Oh, no now don't you blink or it's gone
In another life who knows what we'd become?
Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new
Been making plans and drawing maps
I plan to take the righteous path
And hope and pray it leads me back
To all the happiness I had
Been making lists and crossing off
Every kiss that wasn't love
And every word that stretched the truth
Like when she said she loved me
You're the only person who reminds me
Hold on now
Don't you blink or it's gone
I've been terrified of life for way too long
Oh, no now don't you blink or it's gone
In another life who knows what we'd become?
Hold on now
Don't you blink or it's gone
Oh oh oh oh
Oh, no now don't you blink or it's gone
In another life who knows what we'd become?
Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new
Been making lists and crossing off
Every kiss that wasn't love
And every word that stretched the truth
Like when she said she loved me”
-In the first two paragraphs, it is reminiscent to me of Psalms 23 –
“I made my way through the darkest night
To the break of day on the other side
For some time the light's been creeping in
Now I'm feeling like I could trust again”
- “Yea though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff- they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4)
Now, I could be off, but I really think this song (and album) is reflecting on the singer’s attempts to find meaning, peace and security in human relationships (particularly romantic boyfriend/girlfriend relationships)- and finding that even the best of human relationships fails. I think this is a song where he’s coming back to God and finding the incredibly true and hopeful realization that- after everyone else fails and abandons me- “You’re the only Person who reminds me Love is beautiful and true
Life is beautiful and new -Oh, You're the only Person who reminds me.” And of course, Jesus is Love. And He is beautiful and true and new. He’s the only One who can really give us true love and true life. Then we have an exhortation to hold on and not blink- but rather enjoy life because “The Lord giveth and The Lord taketh away- may The Name of The Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21) “In another life, who knows what we’d become?” –I think this line could work either way- possibly a reference to the new eternal life we’ll have with Jesus in Heaven, but also a reference to another life path where we walk with Jesus at the forefront of our relationship- and we could have a much better relationship with Him there in the center.
“Been making plans and drawing maps
I plan to take the righteous path
And hope and pray it leads me back
To all the happiness I had
Been making lists and crossing off
Every kiss that wasn't love
And every word that stretched the truth
Like when she said she loved me”
-Love these lines! I think this is
where we see the singer’s resolve to “take the righteous path” – the one that
leads to life instead of the broad one that leads to death. (See Matthew 7.)
And he hopes and prays it will lead him back to all the happiness he had. And
because of 1 John 1:9, we know that God is always willing to forgive us and
take us back when we truly come to Him in repentance and confess our sins to
Him- I think the close relationship with God is “the happiness” the singer had
and taking “the righteous path” will definitely lead him back to it. I love
that he is also casting off falsehood- including every kiss that wasn’t love
and every word that stretched the truth. None of these women that he had
shallow relationships with truly loved him- but the God who loved the whole
world so much that He gave us Jesus to die on the cross and rise again to pay
for our sins- still loves him dearly- and He’s the only One who truly loves him
the most.
So I see this song as a hopeful declaration of resolve- a song of trust in Jesus. :-)
So I see this song as a hopeful declaration of resolve- a song of trust in Jesus. :-)
“Boomerang”- Now from this part of the album forward- this
is where many people seem to have so many questions about the intent and
meaning of the songs. However, I don’t hear anything sexually explicit or
objectionable for that reason in these songs. And here is a key other thing I
don’t hear in any of these songs- I don’t hear any of them advocating any of
the things we know are wrong in these songs. If anything, they should serve as
cautionary tales- just like when we read about King David and his adultery with
Bathsheba, which led to his subsequent murder of her husband Uriah. (1 Kings
11) In fact, I would say one of the overriding themes of this album is, “Don’t
make the same mistakes that I did- learn from what happened to me and make the
right choices.” Look through this whole album and notice how many times the
singer indicates that what he was doing was wrong and that he shouldn’t have
been doing it (and neither should you.) With that in mind, let’s look at the rest of
the songs.
“Hey, I try to run away
But everywhere I turn, I turn around
And you're right back in my face
And everything you say
I can't get away from you
I just can't escape
Cause you're at my favorite bar
Your hoodie's in my car
The smell of your Chanel 5 won't die hard
Yeah I don't stand a chance
You're hanging with my friends
When I see you again that's when it starts
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Hey, already on the way
End up at your place when I should be driving home
Girl what was I thinking
Girl what was I drinking
Trying to tell myself that it can't be wrong
You were at my favorite bar
Your hoodie's in my car
The smell of your Chanel 5 won't die hard
Yeah I don't stand a chance
You're hanging with my friends
When I see you again that's when it starts
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again”
But everywhere I turn, I turn around
And you're right back in my face
And everything you say
I can't get away from you
I just can't escape
Cause you're at my favorite bar
Your hoodie's in my car
The smell of your Chanel 5 won't die hard
Yeah I don't stand a chance
You're hanging with my friends
When I see you again that's when it starts
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Hey, already on the way
End up at your place when I should be driving home
Girl what was I thinking
Girl what was I drinking
Trying to tell myself that it can't be wrong
You were at my favorite bar
Your hoodie's in my car
The smell of your Chanel 5 won't die hard
Yeah I don't stand a chance
You're hanging with my friends
When I see you again that's when it starts
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again
We break just like it ain't no thing
But we ridin' on a boomerang
Our love is like a rubber band
Snap back, snap back
Here we go again”
-I think the chorus is the
main kicker on this one. When you’re “riding on a boomerang” and your love “is
like a rubber band” always snapping back- that’s not a good picture of love.
Love is true and faithful. (See 1 Corinthians 13). It always perseveres and
never fails.
But let’s be honest- her good looks are alluring. Her perfume- her clothes- everything about her. She’s hanging at the singer’s favorite hang-out with his friends. But then the singer says, “End up at your place when I should be driving home. Girl, what was I thinking? What was I drinking? – Trying to tell myself it can’t be wrong.”
He knows he shouldn’t be doing it- but yet he finds himself drawn in anyway (since “he can’t escape”.) And so he’s giving in- but he’s aware of the situation enough to know that it’s wrong and know that their love that keeps snapping back and forth is not a picture of real love.
(One last caveat on this, since it comes up again and is a sticking point for many Christians- yes, I wish he wasn’t drinking too-in general, I don’t think it’s a good idea. However, Jesus drank wine with His disciples- in fact, his first miracle recorded was turning water into wine. I choose to be a teetotaler myself- but I can’t judge anyone who chooses to imbibe. The Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong to drink alcohol- in fact, it even seems to encourage it in some places. (Proverbs 30 and 1 Timothy 5:23) However, The Bible does says that getting drunk is a sin- Ephesians 5:18.) So drink if you choose to do so- but don’t be a bad example or stumbling block for Christian brothers or unbelievers. And if you don’t believe in drinking- don’t judge those who choose to do so because of their freedom in Christ!) And again- he never advocates drinking in any case- but at least he’s honest enough to say this is the state he was at in the song- and from the context of the songs, he was probably using drinking to help heal the hurt in his heart- again, a hurt that only the Holy Ghost can heal.
“Lost Boy”-
But let’s be honest- her good looks are alluring. Her perfume- her clothes- everything about her. She’s hanging at the singer’s favorite hang-out with his friends. But then the singer says, “End up at your place when I should be driving home. Girl, what was I thinking? What was I drinking? – Trying to tell myself it can’t be wrong.”
He knows he shouldn’t be doing it- but yet he finds himself drawn in anyway (since “he can’t escape”.) And so he’s giving in- but he’s aware of the situation enough to know that it’s wrong and know that their love that keeps snapping back and forth is not a picture of real love.
(One last caveat on this, since it comes up again and is a sticking point for many Christians- yes, I wish he wasn’t drinking too-in general, I don’t think it’s a good idea. However, Jesus drank wine with His disciples- in fact, his first miracle recorded was turning water into wine. I choose to be a teetotaler myself- but I can’t judge anyone who chooses to imbibe. The Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong to drink alcohol- in fact, it even seems to encourage it in some places. (Proverbs 30 and 1 Timothy 5:23) However, The Bible does says that getting drunk is a sin- Ephesians 5:18.) So drink if you choose to do so- but don’t be a bad example or stumbling block for Christian brothers or unbelievers. And if you don’t believe in drinking- don’t judge those who choose to do so because of their freedom in Christ!) And again- he never advocates drinking in any case- but at least he’s honest enough to say this is the state he was at in the song- and from the context of the songs, he was probably using drinking to help heal the hurt in his heart- again, a hurt that only the Holy Ghost can heal.
“Lost Boy”-
Wow! The title alone evokes
metaphorical references. And yes- I certainly have to mention Jesus’ parable of
The Prodigal Son in Luke 15. (Remember that this parable comes after Christ’s parable
of the lost sheep and the lost coin- and thus, this parable is also sometimes
referred to as “The Lost Son”.) I think this is yet another startingly honest
admittance- the singer was lost, having strayed off the narrow path. And he
needed the Shepherd of our souls to pull him back to the righteous path.
“You had a baby you were seventeen years old
I was on the road trying to make it my home
You had a man but he wasn't no good to ya
I was with women I didn't know
Foot loose, Fancy free
Pretty lady won't you dance with me
'Cause one look from your eyes and
I knew that it was right this time
Before you came around
I couldn't figure out
Where I was going
I was wandering wandering
Wandering around
Before I found my way
I was running like a stray
And I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around
Sweet country baby you were singing at the airport
Raking in tips with the heel of your boot
I must have passed you by a hundred times
Before cupid saw it fit to let me dance with you
Foot loose, fancy free
Pretty lady won't you dance with me
'Cause one look from your eyes and
I knew that it was right this time
Before you came around
I couldn't figure out
Where I was going
I was wandering wandering
Wandering around
Before I found my way
I was running like a stray
And I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around
I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around
I couldn't figure out
Where I was going
I was wandering wandering
Wandering around
Before I found my way
I was running like a stray
And I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around
Before you came around
Before you came around
“You had a baby you were seventeen years old
I was on the road trying to make it my home
You had a man but he wasn't no good to ya
I was with women I didn't know
Foot loose, Fancy free
Pretty lady won't you dance with me
'Cause one look from your eyes and
I knew that it was right this time
Before you came around
I couldn't figure out
Where I was going
I was wandering wandering
Wandering around
Before I found my way
I was running like a stray
And I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around
Sweet country baby you were singing at the airport
Raking in tips with the heel of your boot
I must have passed you by a hundred times
Before cupid saw it fit to let me dance with you
Foot loose, fancy free
Pretty lady won't you dance with me
'Cause one look from your eyes and
I knew that it was right this time
Before you came around
I couldn't figure out
Where I was going
I was wandering wandering
Wandering around
Before I found my way
I was running like a stray
And I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around
I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around
I couldn't figure out
Where I was going
I was wandering wandering
Wandering around
Before I found my way
I was running like a stray
And I was a lost boy
Just a lost boy
Before you came around
Before you came around
Before you came around
-Notice again that the
singer freely admits he was “with women he didn’t know”. And though perhaps he
thought this girl was the one and maybe he truly thought she was the right one,
I get the feeling that he was left with disappointment once again. Of course, I
also get the feeling that the chorus repeated the last time could be read as a
statement to God- a statement of our lostness before He came around and found
us. That’s a vulnerable statement to make- but a necessary one in our road to
recovery and restoration and reconciliation with God.
“If I Could Take You Home”
-Here we have a song where the singer recounts yet another disappoint in relationships. And it seems like he’s saying though she’s his Katherine, he’ll be her Petruchio and tame her. After all, “if he could take you home”- then things would be different. Perhaps he could try to “be all that she needs”- but is she really all that he needs?
“I hear the words that you're telling me
Taking about all this tragedy
You've got everything
When you're close to me
You're all around
You're surrounding me
Intoxicated by the air you breathe
You've got everything
With me
Oh oh
Like broken pieces of a shattered dream
Or like a movie with a missing scene
You'd like you believe
I'm nothing special
But if I could take you home
If I could take you home
If I could take you home
I'll be all that you need
The trail of broken hearts you left behind
Should send me running girl
But I don't mind
It's not up to me
Where you sleep
oh oh
But you're so good at making casualties
Inflicting pain rather casually
It's easy to see
You'd do it to me
Oh oh
Like broken pieces of a shattered dream
Or like a movie with a missing scene
You'd like to believe
I'm nothing special
But if I could take you home
If I could take you home
If I could take you home
I'll be all that you need
If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
Oh whoa oh
You think I'm nothing special
But if I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
Oh whoa oh
Oh whoa oh
Oh whoa oh
Oh whoa oh
If I could take you home
If I could take it slow(Oh whoa oh)
If I could let you know
If I could make you see
That I'll be all that you need (Oh whoa oh)
Oh whoa oh
You think I'm nothing special
But If I could take you home
If I could take you home
If I could take you home
I'll be all that you need
If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
If I could take it slow (Oh whoa oh)
If I could let you know (Oh whoa oh)
Oh whoa oh
You think I'm nothing special
But If I could take you home (Oh whoa oh)
Oh whoa oh
I'll be all that you need (Oh whoa oh)”
-I think it’s worth noting
that the singer acknowledges that it’s “not up to him where she sleeps”. He
even admits that she “inflicts pain so casually” and “leaves a trail of broken
hearts behind her”. And on top of that- “she thinks he’s nothing special”. So
why is he so wanting to take her home again? The false bravado and swagger here
belies to me both a bit of naivete and some optimism that somehow he can be the
one to make it work. Another song that seems destined to end in failure.
“Can’t Complain”
-Now this one is particularly
interesting to me. On the surface, it seems to be conveying a Biblical message-
and I would definitely agree with that part. “Do everything without complaining
or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14) “Don’t worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will
worry about itself.” (Jesus in Matthew 6). “Teach us to number the days aright,
Lord.” (see Psalms 90:12)
There are a lot of other verses I could mention as well. This is a good, Biblical message in general in itself. However, maybe there’s something deeper past the surface…
“Looking at the cop in the rear view mirror
Probably should have stopped but the crosswalk was clear
I'll just imagine it's a ticket to a Broadway show
Looking at the clouds and they seem kinda funny
Probably gonna rain but my outlook is sunny
I'll just imagine that I'm laying out in Mexico
Cause I know that pleasures gotta come with pain
And I know that things won't always go my way
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain
I can't complain
Every days too short to let it go to waste
Now I can't complain
I can't complain
You gotta treat every day like a holiday
And I'm telling you
That I know some days I'm gonna stumble
And I know the cookie's gonna crumble
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain
Waiting on a never ending train at the crossing
Paying it no mind cause you just keep talking
We'll just imagine it's the good old days and take it slow
Spending Christmas Eve on the floor of the airport
Dying to get back to the people that I care for
Smiling just dreaming about my puppy in my bed back home
Cause I know that pleasures gotta come with pain
And I know that things won't always go my way
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain
I can't complain
Every days too short to let it go to waste
Now I can't complain
I can't complain
You gotta treat every day like a holiday
And I'm telling you
That I know some days I'm gonna stumble
And I know the cookie's gonna crumble
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
If you can't say nothing good
Don't say nothing
If you stop to think you could come up with something
That makes you feel so good when times are rough it's ok
I can't complain
Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh
Don't let it go to waste
Now I can't complain
I can't complain
Every days too short to let it go to waste
Now I can't complain
I can't complain
You gotta treat every day like a holiday
And I'm telling you
That I know some days I'm gonna stumble
And I know the cookie's gonna crumble
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain”
-Well, in general it sounds like an optimistic tune to me and I like that. However, it could also be a tone of noncommital acceptance- something that says that things in life are going to just happen- and we can’t do anything about them- so we should just accept things with a shrug and a smile and move on. This amounts to a lackadaisical attitude to me and I don’t think that’s right. Don’t just accept that life has to be the way it is, full of personal failures and relationship disappointments. Jesus can put all of those relationships right! Don’t turn to apathy- turn to Him!
(Also, this song unfortunately uses a word I don’t like to use in that capacity and I’m sure you know which I mean. I wish they hadn’t but I know a number of people don’t find it to be such a bad word- and certainly not nearly on the level of a curse word. I’m not saying that it is- but I am saying that I wish they had used a word like “stink” instead- which conveys the same meaning without possible sexual connotations- of course, perhaps it’s appropriate for this album, in that case.)
There are a lot of other verses I could mention as well. This is a good, Biblical message in general in itself. However, maybe there’s something deeper past the surface…
“Looking at the cop in the rear view mirror
Probably should have stopped but the crosswalk was clear
I'll just imagine it's a ticket to a Broadway show
Looking at the clouds and they seem kinda funny
Probably gonna rain but my outlook is sunny
I'll just imagine that I'm laying out in Mexico
Cause I know that pleasures gotta come with pain
And I know that things won't always go my way
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain
I can't complain
Every days too short to let it go to waste
Now I can't complain
I can't complain
You gotta treat every day like a holiday
And I'm telling you
That I know some days I'm gonna stumble
And I know the cookie's gonna crumble
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain
Waiting on a never ending train at the crossing
Paying it no mind cause you just keep talking
We'll just imagine it's the good old days and take it slow
Spending Christmas Eve on the floor of the airport
Dying to get back to the people that I care for
Smiling just dreaming about my puppy in my bed back home
Cause I know that pleasures gotta come with pain
And I know that things won't always go my way
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain
I can't complain
Every days too short to let it go to waste
Now I can't complain
I can't complain
You gotta treat every day like a holiday
And I'm telling you
That I know some days I'm gonna stumble
And I know the cookie's gonna crumble
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
If you can't say nothing good
Don't say nothing
If you stop to think you could come up with something
That makes you feel so good when times are rough it's ok
I can't complain
Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh
Don't let it go to waste
Now I can't complain
I can't complain
Every days too short to let it go to waste
Now I can't complain
I can't complain
You gotta treat every day like a holiday
And I'm telling you
That I know some days I'm gonna stumble
And I know the cookie's gonna crumble
And I know that life is gonna suck some days
But I can't complain”
-Well, in general it sounds like an optimistic tune to me and I like that. However, it could also be a tone of noncommital acceptance- something that says that things in life are going to just happen- and we can’t do anything about them- so we should just accept things with a shrug and a smile and move on. This amounts to a lackadaisical attitude to me and I don’t think that’s right. Don’t just accept that life has to be the way it is, full of personal failures and relationship disappointments. Jesus can put all of those relationships right! Don’t turn to apathy- turn to Him!
(Also, this song unfortunately uses a word I don’t like to use in that capacity and I’m sure you know which I mean. I wish they hadn’t but I know a number of people don’t find it to be such a bad word- and certainly not nearly on the level of a curse word. I’m not saying that it is- but I am saying that I wish they had used a word like “stink” instead- which conveys the same meaning without possible sexual connotations- of course, perhaps it’s appropriate for this album, in that case.)
“Gloria”
-Relient K showcases its trademark wit in this song. And what a great sense of irony! The word “gloria” itself is used in the title of two classic Christian songs- hymns of praise. (“Gloria in Excelsis Deo” [i.e. Glory to God in the highest] and “Gloria Patri”. [“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”] And this Gloria isn’t living up to her name in giving God glory with the way she lives her life, particularly in this relationship.
I never know whatcha
You're keeping me in the dark
You've got your fast moves and
You've got your one two's and
I could never let down my guard
You say you can never do better than me
Aye gloria what's come over ya
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to love
Why don't you show me what's up
I got the shakes and your my drug
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to fight
Cause when you're wrong you're always right
You've got a lot of nerve, I've got a lot to learn
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to love
Telling lies, swatting kisses like their flies
Doing everything I can to survive
Keep me in the cold, raking me over the coals
You either freeze me or burn me alive
Cause You say you can never do better than me
Aye gloria, I'm kinda sore would ya
Why don't you keep me up
Why don't you teach me how to love
Why don't you show me what's up
I got the shakes and your my drug
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to fight
Cause when you're wrong you're always right
You've got a lot of nerve, I've got a lot to learn
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to love
I guess it's love, flower petals everywhere
I guess it's love, runnin' fingers through your hair
I guess it's love when you tell me what to wear
I guess it's love when you're goin' through my phone
I guess it's love when I can't go out alone
I guess it's love when you got me feelin' low
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you show me how to
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to love
Why don't you show me what's up
I got the shakes and your my drug
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you teach me how to fight
Cause when you're wrong you're always right
You've got a lot of nerve, I've got a lot to learn
Why don't you show me how to
Why don't you teach me how to
Why don't you show me how to
Why don't you teach me how to love”
-I think the key to
understanding this song is knowing that it’s meant to be sarcastic.
Gloria is “telling lies” and “keeping
him in the dark”. Yet “she’s his drug”. So it must be love when she’s
controlling and not trusting (going through his phone) and keeping him feeling
low. The song at that point is really an antithesis of the picture of love God
paints in 1 Corinthians 13.
This song showcases yet another relationship that is definitely not real love.
This song showcases yet another relationship that is definitely not real love.
“PTL”
-Again we have a song title that seems
to evoke Christian imagery. “PTL” is a fairly common abbreviation in many
Christian denominations for “Praise The Lord”. I kinda wonder if both this and
the last song title are meant to be ironic.
“There was a time when I was scared of nothing
Nothing can touch you if you don't look back
I walked away from every good thing that I had
By the time I met you it was 12 past midnight
Told you I'd be the best you never had
You said "Are you serious?"
I said like a heart attack
But it was far too late before I figured it out.
I never meant to be your, I never meant to be your
One night, one mistake.
I never meant to be your part-time lover
Then again I've never been a full-time man
Never thought it'd hurt so bad to see you with another
Guess I'm the fool that ya, ya think I am
I never called you like I know I should of
Thought I could save you for a rainy day
I bet the sun was shining when I let you slip away
But it was far too late before I figured it out
I bet the sun was shining, I never meant to be your
One night, one mistake
I never meant to be your part-time lover
Then again I've never been a full-time man
Never thought it'd hurt so bad to see you with another
Guess I'm the fool that ya, ya think I am
I never meant to be your part-time lover (part-time lover)
Then again I've never been a full-time man
Never thought it'd hurt so bad to see you with another
Guess I'm the fool that ya (Guess I'm the fool that ya)
I never meant to be your part-time lover
Then again I've never been a full-time man
Never thought it'd hurt so bad to see you with another
Guess I'm the fool that ya, ya think I am
I never meant to be your fool
I never meant to be your fool
I walked away from every good thing that I had”
- We can clearly see some of Matt Thiessen’s classic wordplay lyrics in the chorus here. “I never meant to be your part-time lover- Then again I’ve never been a full-time man”….
And then the singer goes on to admit that he guesses “he’s the fool that she thinks he is.” He “never meant to be her one night, one mistake.” And it hurts when he realizes that the relationship is not what he thought it was- it isn’t the committed full time thing he wants, especially when he “sees her with another”. And once again, he notes that he “walked away from every good thing that he had.”
But as David sought the restoration of his relationship with The Lord in Psalms 51 (and received it)- the singer can still walk back to his good relationship with The Lord as well- and of course, “every good thing” and “every perfect gift” comes from above- from The Lord. (as James 1:17 tells us.)
“Disaster”
-Okay, I don’t know how much more clear the theme can be made than in this title. The singer clearly says that his relationship with this girl “has disaster written all over it.” It’s a very honest confession here in this song.
-Okay, I don’t know how much more clear the theme can be made than in this title. The singer clearly says that his relationship with this girl “has disaster written all over it.” It’s a very honest confession here in this song.
“I was spending all my time
falling in love
Should’ve known better, but it's so much fun when I'm with you
And there’s a missing person poster hanging up at the bar
Cause I, I've got a girl
I think we're in love
But oh for how long
It's got disaster written all over
So don't nobody show her
Our horoscope headline- disaster
Written all over it
Oh you didn't no no you didn't
Did you pull out the wires make a man out of me
I'm trying to figure out if life’s worth living without you
Hope I never have to
The stars could align or explode in the sky
Oh disaster
Baby, you look so sexy so what do I do when
We get home from church and the baby
Is in her room sleeping or watching a movie
You get closer to me
Oh this has disaster written all over it
I'm trying to figure out if life’s worth living without you
Hope I never have to
The stars could align or explode in the sky
If I already know about all the things that would bring us down
Then I'd react a bit faster
I'm averting disaster one day at a time
Disaster, disaster, disaster, disaster.
Won't you pull out the wires make a man out of me
I'm trying to figure out if life’s worth living without you
Hope I never have to
It could be disaster if I don't even try
If I already know about all the things that would bring us down
Then I'd react a bit faster
I'm averting disaster one day at a time
Disaster, disaster, disaster, disaster
Should’ve known better, but it's so much fun when I'm with you
And there’s a missing person poster hanging up at the bar
Cause I, I've got a girl
I think we're in love
But oh for how long
It's got disaster written all over
So don't nobody show her
Our horoscope headline- disaster
Written all over it
Oh you didn't no no you didn't
Did you pull out the wires make a man out of me
I'm trying to figure out if life’s worth living without you
Hope I never have to
The stars could align or explode in the sky
Oh disaster
Baby, you look so sexy so what do I do when
We get home from church and the baby
Is in her room sleeping or watching a movie
You get closer to me
Oh this has disaster written all over it
I'm trying to figure out if life’s worth living without you
Hope I never have to
The stars could align or explode in the sky
If I already know about all the things that would bring us down
Then I'd react a bit faster
I'm averting disaster one day at a time
Disaster, disaster, disaster, disaster.
Won't you pull out the wires make a man out of me
I'm trying to figure out if life’s worth living without you
Hope I never have to
It could be disaster if I don't even try
If I already know about all the things that would bring us down
Then I'd react a bit faster
I'm averting disaster one day at a time
Disaster, disaster, disaster, disaster
-So even though the singer and this girl are still going to church, they’re coming home to a baby that may have been born out of wedlock. (That part isn’t exactly clear.) What is clear is that the singer says that the whole thing is a disaster. He’s trying to “avert it by reacting a bit faster”. That way, he can “avert disaster one day at a time”. Interestingly, he says he “spent all his time falling in love”. And once he found this girl, now “there’s a missing person poster hanging up at the bar”. So he goes from drowning his sorrows in beer to drowning his sorrows in a relationship with this girl- and he comes to the conclusion that it’s a disaster. When he’s “trying to figure out if life’s worth living without her” and “hopes he never has to”- I wonder if this line might also be reflective of trying to live life without God- and the answer is that nothing really satisfies without God. In fact, life without God is just a disaster. (see Psalms 32).
“When You Were My Baby”
-We have here a song of lament, where the singer sadly recalls how good things were “when she was his baby”- when he had a good relationship with this girl and everything felt right. I think this song is simply a song of lament for the good relationship he had when things were right with him and his girl and his God.
“I still remember what happened
Yeah, I know right where I was
The sky was looking overcast
On the outskirts of love
That's when you said keep on driving
Although the sun's gonna set
You said you had to see how far we could take this
Yeah, how far we could get
When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
Cause nothing ever seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby and the whole wide world was mine
I woke up this morning
Aching for you
Roll over, try to sleep it off
Till late afternoon
They say that it's better
If you love and lost
Maybe if I stay away from you
I'd be better off now
When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
Cause nothing ever seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby and the whole wide world was
Spinning around us
Trouble never found us
Wish I had it now
But the whole wide world
It never beams bright and
Never feels as right and
It's killing me tonight just thinking
When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
Cause nothing ever seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby the world
When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
It never seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby and the whole wide world was”
- I notice that “the whole wide world never beams bright and never feels as right”- when she is no longer the singer’s baby. Back then, “nothing seemed to faze him”, but now he’s having to face life without her. And again, we have a reminder of the emptiness of basing all your happiness and joy on a romantic relationship with a girl. Only God truly satisfies. (Psalms 42).
-We have here a song of lament, where the singer sadly recalls how good things were “when she was his baby”- when he had a good relationship with this girl and everything felt right. I think this song is simply a song of lament for the good relationship he had when things were right with him and his girl and his God.
“I still remember what happened
Yeah, I know right where I was
The sky was looking overcast
On the outskirts of love
That's when you said keep on driving
Although the sun's gonna set
You said you had to see how far we could take this
Yeah, how far we could get
When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
Cause nothing ever seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby and the whole wide world was mine
I woke up this morning
Aching for you
Roll over, try to sleep it off
Till late afternoon
They say that it's better
If you love and lost
Maybe if I stay away from you
I'd be better off now
When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
Cause nothing ever seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby and the whole wide world was
Spinning around us
Trouble never found us
Wish I had it now
But the whole wide world
It never beams bright and
Never feels as right and
It's killing me tonight just thinking
When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
Cause nothing ever seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby the world
When you were my baby
Whoa-oh
Must've done something to change me
Whoa-oh
It never seemed to faze me
Till tonight
Thinking when you were my baby and the whole wide world was”
- I notice that “the whole wide world never beams bright and never feels as right”- when she is no longer the singer’s baby. Back then, “nothing seemed to faze him”, but now he’s having to face life without her. And again, we have a reminder of the emptiness of basing all your happiness and joy on a romantic relationship with a girl. Only God truly satisfies. (Psalms 42).
“Sweeter”
-This song really says it pretty well and plainly. The singer sings about this girl that is sweeter than sugar but still leaves a sour taste in your mouth. The problem is- the singer can’t see “the trouble he’s in” with this girl. And once again, we are reminded that a wrong relationship will just bring us heartache in the end.
-This song really says it pretty well and plainly. The singer sings about this girl that is sweeter than sugar but still leaves a sour taste in your mouth. The problem is- the singer can’t see “the trouble he’s in” with this girl. And once again, we are reminded that a wrong relationship will just bring us heartache in the end.
“She looks good in your
clothes
Climbing up the staircase
Back to bed you go again
Even when her eyes are closed
Can't keep from staring
Oh, the trouble you got in
She's a memory
She's an apparition,
Fogging up my vision
But I don't pay no mind
She's sweeter than sugar
Till the sun goes down
Don't allow her to sour
Just spit her out
Believe me, she will leave a bad taste in your mouth
Can't drink enough to wash her down
Wonder if she knows
That I know where she goes
When she says she's with her friends
Yeah, everything grows old
Can't try to stop it
All comes to a bitter end
But I don't pay no mind
She's sweeter than sugar
Till the sun goes down
Don't allow her to sour
Just spit her out
Believe me, she'll leave a bad taste in your mouth
Can't drink enough to wash her down
Wash her down
She's a memory
She's an apparition,
Fogging up my vision
But I don't pay no mind
She's sweeter than sugar
Till the sun goes down
Don't allow her to sour
Just spit her out
Believe me, she'll leave a bad taste in your mouth
Can't drink enough to wash her down
Wash her down”
-I think it’s interesting that the singer says “she’s an apparition fogging up my vision”. (Particularly since he makes a specific reference to The Holy Ghost in the following song- perhaps this is a comparison of the girl to another spirit- but here representing an evil spirit, rather than The Holy Spirit. I don’t mean to demonize the girl here, but just to make the comparison regarding the unBiblical relationship.) “Don’t allow her to sour- just spit her out. Believe me, she’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth- Can’t drink enough to wash her down.” Here we have a clear warning from the singer to stay away from such women and such relationships that don’t conform to the rules for sexuality that God set down in His Word. (Again, the drinking issue comes up here, but to be fair- that doesn’t have to refer to alcohol. Even if it does, it’s still true- you can’t drink enough alcohol to wash her down- or to remedy the heart situation.) The phrasing saying “she’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth” also brings to mind this truth from The Bible- “Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” (Proverbs 20:17)
“Collapsible Lung”
Climbing up the staircase
Back to bed you go again
Even when her eyes are closed
Can't keep from staring
Oh, the trouble you got in
She's a memory
She's an apparition,
Fogging up my vision
But I don't pay no mind
She's sweeter than sugar
Till the sun goes down
Don't allow her to sour
Just spit her out
Believe me, she will leave a bad taste in your mouth
Can't drink enough to wash her down
Wonder if she knows
That I know where she goes
When she says she's with her friends
Yeah, everything grows old
Can't try to stop it
All comes to a bitter end
But I don't pay no mind
She's sweeter than sugar
Till the sun goes down
Don't allow her to sour
Just spit her out
Believe me, she'll leave a bad taste in your mouth
Can't drink enough to wash her down
Wash her down
She's a memory
She's an apparition,
Fogging up my vision
But I don't pay no mind
She's sweeter than sugar
Till the sun goes down
Don't allow her to sour
Just spit her out
Believe me, she'll leave a bad taste in your mouth
Can't drink enough to wash her down
Wash her down”
-I think it’s interesting that the singer says “she’s an apparition fogging up my vision”. (Particularly since he makes a specific reference to The Holy Ghost in the following song- perhaps this is a comparison of the girl to another spirit- but here representing an evil spirit, rather than The Holy Spirit. I don’t mean to demonize the girl here, but just to make the comparison regarding the unBiblical relationship.) “Don’t allow her to sour- just spit her out. Believe me, she’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth- Can’t drink enough to wash her down.” Here we have a clear warning from the singer to stay away from such women and such relationships that don’t conform to the rules for sexuality that God set down in His Word. (Again, the drinking issue comes up here, but to be fair- that doesn’t have to refer to alcohol. Even if it does, it’s still true- you can’t drink enough alcohol to wash her down- or to remedy the heart situation.) The phrasing saying “she’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth” also brings to mind this truth from The Bible- “Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” (Proverbs 20:17)
“Collapsible Lung”
-Here we have the conclusion of the matter. This last track on the
album echoes the resolve of the first track (“Don’t Blink”). It’s a song of
confession asking for God to extend His grace once more again. It’s an
acknowledgement of how much we all need God and how nothing else really
satisfies without Him.
“Between the miles of open road
I lost sight of what might matter the most
I stumbled into the great unknown and found
That time won't slow down
I'm getting by with my collapsible lung
And it's a good time 100% of the time
And I'm like a ladder with a missing rung
And it's a slow climb headed back to the sky
And I'm feelin' backwards when I'm trying the most
And I hope haven't heard the last words from The Holy Ghost
Cause I think that I'm supposed to be
Well on my way by now
I'll do the twist with my replaceable hips
And turn you right round
Then dip you down to the ground
And now I wanna grow old and rub your tired limbs
And take it easy
Until we wither away
Until we wither away
Between the miles of open road
I lost sight of what might matter the most
I stumbled into the great unknown and found
That time can't slow down
To take a breath and then take it in
To think of places I'll go I haven't been
To pour my heart into everything I've found
Time won't slow down
Feelin' backwards
And I hope haven't heard the last words
No, no, no
Cause I think that I'm supposed to be
Well on my way-eh-eh!
Eh eh!
Wooo'
To pour my heart into everything I found
Between the miles of open road
I lost sight of what might matter the most
I stumbled into the great unknown and found
That time won't slow down
To take a breath and then take it in
To think of places I'll go I haven't been”
-“Between the miles of open
road”, the singer “stumbled into the great unknown” and “found that time won’t
slow down”. Along the way, he “lost sight of what might matter the most”. I
think this is a confession of how he fell away from God- from Who really
matters the most. He’s “getting by with his collapsible lung”- an
acknowledgement of the frailty of human beings. (Psalms 8). And though “it’s a
slow climb back to the sky”- back to God- he keeps pressing on, even though
he’s “feeling backwards when he’s trying the most”- and he “hopes he hasn’t
heard the last words from The Holy Ghost”. He concludes that he “thinks he’s
supposed to be well on his way by now.” When he mentions the part about “doing
the twist with his replaceable hips”, I think he’s now talking about the image
of a relationship he really wants to have- a lifelong commitment of marriage-
to have the woman beside him who is his wife, who he can “grow old with and rub
her tired limbs”- "until we wither away". (Until death do us part.). He wants “to pour his heart into everything he’s found”, “to
take a breath and then take it in” and “to think of places he’ll go he hasn’t
been”. I think this works on both the physical level as far as relationships
here on Earth go, but also on the spiritual level- to the places he’ll go in
his walk with Christ. That’s what really matters the most in both the first
place and end place.
- Here then is the crux of the entire album, I think. ”Vanity! Vanity! Everything is vanity! Says the Preacher.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). Everything is meaningless- without God. “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
This whole album is like a musical version of Ecclesiastes in so many ways for me. In the end, the singer is still holding to his faith in God and realizes that the only real satisfaction comes from obeying God and following Him. And I love the honesty of the musical journey that takes us to that point to realize that. Amen! Only Jesus satisfies. :-)
“That’s My Jam”
-And for the deep spiritual meaning of this song…….um, I don’t think there is any. It’s just plain fun! :-)
(Proverbs 12:25, 17:22)
- Here then is the crux of the entire album, I think. ”Vanity! Vanity! Everything is vanity! Says the Preacher.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). Everything is meaningless- without God. “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
This whole album is like a musical version of Ecclesiastes in so many ways for me. In the end, the singer is still holding to his faith in God and realizes that the only real satisfaction comes from obeying God and following Him. And I love the honesty of the musical journey that takes us to that point to realize that. Amen! Only Jesus satisfies. :-)
“That’s My Jam”
-And for the deep spiritual meaning of this song…….um, I don’t think there is any. It’s just plain fun! :-)
(Proverbs 12:25, 17:22)
“Turn up the record cause the song's just begun
I'm smashing pumpkins like it's November 1
Wish britney'd hit me one more time on the phone
So tired of counting crows with Mr. Jones
My sister hazel knows that it's all for you
Am I a blur or do you sing my song 2?
Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh back in '99
Ooh ooh ooh ooh our first dance
Ooh ooh ooh that's my jam
Jane's addicted and Alice is in chains
U2 like to move me in mysterious ways
We're chasing waterfalls and wonder-walls
My jewel, you were meant for me so save my soul
Add seven Mary three plus 98 degrees
Eve 6 times 311, that's you and me
Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh back in '99
Ooh ooh ooh ooh our first dance
Ooh ooh ooh that's my jam
This blessed union of collective souls
Is the only world we know
This heart-shaped candle box burns for you alone
You outta know
Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh feelin' so sublime
Ooh ooh ooh ooh boy ii man
Ooh ooh ooh my pearl jam
Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh back in '99
Ooh ooh ooh ooh take my hand
Ooh ooh ooh baby, you're my jam”
I'm smashing pumpkins like it's November 1
Wish britney'd hit me one more time on the phone
So tired of counting crows with Mr. Jones
My sister hazel knows that it's all for you
Am I a blur or do you sing my song 2?
Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh back in '99
Ooh ooh ooh ooh our first dance
Ooh ooh ooh that's my jam
Jane's addicted and Alice is in chains
U2 like to move me in mysterious ways
We're chasing waterfalls and wonder-walls
My jewel, you were meant for me so save my soul
Add seven Mary three plus 98 degrees
Eve 6 times 311, that's you and me
Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh back in '99
Ooh ooh ooh ooh our first dance
Ooh ooh ooh that's my jam
This blessed union of collective souls
Is the only world we know
This heart-shaped candle box burns for you alone
You outta know
Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh feelin' so sublime
Ooh ooh ooh ooh boy ii man
Ooh ooh ooh my pearl jam
Ooh ooh ooh summertime
Ooh ooh ooh back in '99
Ooh ooh ooh ooh take my hand
Ooh ooh ooh baby, you're my jam”
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