lenten journal: words and music
As we finish up our first week of Lent, it seems a good time to offer some songs for the road. I’ve chosen songs that have come alive to me for one reason or another over the past months. Gillian Welch’s “One Little Song” seems a good place to start.
gotta be a song left to sing'cause everybody can't have thought of everythingone little song that ain't been sungone little rag that ain't been wrung out completely yet'til there's nothing left
Pierce Pettis released a new record this winter, which is reason enough to have hope in the world. His song “Don’t know where I Am” is an honest search in these days.
I thought that I was homeward boundbut I don’t know where I amnow I’m in so deep that I might drownand I don’t know where I am
Kathy Mattea is another who released a record after many years. She went through a period where she could not sing and had to relearn how to use her voice. Her song “Tell Me What You Ache For” puts melody to an adaptation of a poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.
tell me what you ache fortell me what you wait fortell me what you long forwhat you're holding on fortell me what you're dreamingwhat would give your life real meaningyou've been afraid to pray fortell me what you ache for
Patty Griffin’s silence was because she was battling breast cancer. Her new record is another statement of tenacious hope. Here is “Luminous Places.”
love flows out of these luminous placeslove lies down in the deep of the seafalls out of the sky in millions of pieces on me
John Prine’s latest record is not brand new, but it keeps following me, so he will bring our closing hymn. He has now survived cancer twice and he still sings with an abandon that makes my heart smile. Here is “Boundless Love.”
if by chance I should find myself at riska-falling from this jagged cliffI look below, and I look aboveI'm surrounded by your boundless love
surround me with your boundless love
confound me with your boundless love
I was drowning in the sea, lost as I could be
when you found me with your boundless love
you dumbfound me with your boundless love
you surround me with your boundless love
May you feel surrounded by a boundless love.
Peace,
Milton
