Music Monday

   Welcome to Music Monday. I'm excited for tonight because #1 I love music, and #2 this is a special night. Tomorrow is the official release of the newest Shinedown CD, Amaryllis.  Tonight's song is one of my favorites from the album (it is released tomorrow, but I have heard the whole thing since it leaked to the internet about a week ago. I have purchased a copy that is in route to me at this very moment and it is a package deal with some other goodies).

     Seeing how the purpose of my Blog is to fill you in on the long story that is me meeting myself I present you this song along the theme of growth and renewal.  The song is entitled "For My Sake". This song is about a person breaking some kind of relationship (it is vague whether it is friendship, dating, work related, or anything necessarily specific). I would lean towards a dating relationship, but as the listener hears the song it lends itself well to interpretation. The song is the chant of the person deciding to leave behind the relationship of ambiguous type for their own sake. As I apply it to myself it is not necessarily a specific person, but more about myself. I've grown a lot this last year and the main person in my way is me. It hasn't been easy initiating change, but I know its for myself. There's an episode of How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM as It shall henceforth be referred to) where Ted and Marshall are about to have to decide who gets the apartment that they are sharing after Marshall get's married.  There is a flashback scene where Marshall asks Ted who gets the apartment, and Ted says,"I don't know, but you know who would be able to figure that out? Future Ted and Future Marshall."  Marshall then says, "Yeah let those guys deal with it."  After the flashback Ted yells, "Darn you past Ted!"  Past Owen has left a lot for me to do, and I can't continue to put it off and still expect to grow.  I'm putting my foot down and never looking back for my sake. I'm going to do work now so that later on I'm don't yell out "Dang it past Owen!"

     This song goes along with that theme. I don't know where you are in your life, but if there is someone holding you back, even yourself, you owe it to future you to not let that happen.  I'm going to let you hear the lyrics as they hit you without any line by line interpretation.

"For My Sake"

[Verse 1:]

I remember like yesterday 

You had a dream in your eyes and a smile on your face

And I'm missing those days again yeah I'm missing those days again

And I forgot what really got in the way

Maybe the sun that wouldn't shine should be taking the blame

Cause its raining on me again yeah its raining on me again

[Bridge:]

A paradox

The key you dropped

A manifest

For what you lost, was me

For my sake please..

[Chorus:]

Stop slowing me down, stop holding me up

Quit making a scene, enough's enough.

Let's be honest, your promise, was never meant to last

So am taking you on, am calling you out.

There's nothing left for us here now.

Let's be honest, I promise, I'm never lookin' back for my sake.

For my sake.

[Verse 2:]

Tell me something that's poetic at best

Make me believe there was a time that you weren't like the rest

And I'll never ask you again, and I'll never ask you again

For all the moments and the memories

No one could ever say we never had a history

But I'm leaving that all behind

And there is nothing gonna change my mind

[Bridge:]

A paradox

The key you dropped

A manifest

For what you lost, was me

For my sake please..

[Chorus:]

Stop slowing me down, stop holding me up

Quit making a scene, enough's enough.

Let's be honest, your promise, was never meant to last

So am taking you on, am calling you out.

There's nothing left for us here now.

Let's be honest, I promise, I'm never lookin' back for my sake.

For my sake.

[Bridge:]

A paradox

The key you dropped

A manifest

For what you lost, was me

For my sake please..

Stop slowing me down

Stop holding me up

Stop slowing me down

Enough's enough

[Chorus:]

Stop slowing me down, stop holding me up

Quit making a scene, enough's enough.

Let's be honest, your promise, was never meant to last

So am taking you on, am calling you out.

There's nothing left for us here now.

Let's be honest, I promise, I'm never lookin' back for my sake.

I'm never lookin' back, for my sake. [x3]

Music Monday: Return of the Song

     I am back from my unplanned hiatus.  It took a lot more time than anticipated to get through underdog week and subsequently last week was a lazy week.  We're back on track now though with the next installment of Music Monday.  

     Today we delve into my music and find the closest my music library gets to country.  Granted it isn't really country minus the over exaggerated twang of the guitar in the beginning and its name, but nonetheless it is the closest I get.  The song is by the band Seether, and I don't really have an critique or in depth look into the song.  The meaning seems to be about the singer looking for liberation from those influences in his life trying to control his choices.  He wants to make mistakes and enjoy the consequences because that is what it means to have free will. "My ship is sinking, but it's all good and I can't go down."  Read into it how you will.  This is a brief picture into the meaning I've gleaned. 

A quick note about the video:  This is the kind of video that I would make with my friends.  Especially if my boy Clint Westbrook (click link for his blog), and I ever start a band.  We will have fun just like it's obvious Seether did with the imaginary gunfights and cowboy motif.

"Country Song"

Well I can't stand to look at you now

This revelation's out of my hands

Still I can't bear the thought of you now

This complication's leaving me scared

Stay when you think you want me

Pray when you need advice

Hey keep your sickness off me trying to get through

Blame all your weakness on me

Shame that I'm so contrite

Hey keep your fingers off me, why can't I get through?

You think you have the best of intentions

I cannot shake the taste of blood in my mouth

[Chorus]

(Hey) I keep on thinking that it's

(Hey) all done and all over now (whoa)

You keep on thinking you can save me, save me

(Hey) My ship is sinking but it's

(Hey) all good and I can go down (whoa)

You've got me thinking that the party's all over

Well I can't stand to be with myself

This liberation's seemingly rare

And I can't stand the taste of your mouth

This sublimation's out of my hands

You stay 'cause you think you want me

Pray when you need advice

Hey keep your sickness off me (I'm trying to get through)

Shame you can't take this from me

Bane on the empty mind

Hey keep your fingers off me, why can't I get through?

[Chorus]

(Hey) I keep on thinking that it's

(Hey) all done and all over now (whoa)

You keep on thinking you can save me, save me

(Hey) My ship is sinking but it's

(Hey) all good and I can go down (whoa)

You've got me thinking that the party's all over

Lay down

Just stay down

Lay down because I am trying to get through

[Bridge]

Say what you want but you're not gonna win this time

Take what you want, but just leave me alive [x2]

[Chorus]

(Hey) I keep on thinking that it's

(Hey) all done and all over now (whoa)

You keep on thinking you can save me, save me

(Hey) My ship is sinking but it's

(Hey) all good and I can go down (whoa)

Still you believe that we can start it all over

Lay down

Just stay down

Lay down because the party's all over

Lay down

Just stay down

Lay down because I am trying to get through

Underdog Week: Finale

     Dary!  Legendary!  Tonight's song is my favorite one at this point in time.  Our band tonight is..

Chevelle

I have been listening to these guys for years.  They are a Chicago based band that was originally formed by three brothers.  After a couple of CD's there was a split and one brother left the group.  The remaining members have kept that reason to themselves the best they can.  Their newest CD is entitled "Hats off to the Bull." It is their 6th studio album and is a great example of how their musical style has refined itself.  They are very conscious about keeping all of their albums sounding the same, and they keep a unique feel to each CD.

     Tonight's song is the title track from the album, and thus is entitled "Hats off to the Bull." The metaphor of bullfighting plays perfectly into underdog week.  I'm sure most people know about the true nature of bullfighting.  It isn't anything like this what i remember seeing in cartoons.  I remember watching Loony Toons as Bugs Bunny gallantly defends himself from a big bully of a bull.  Through much comic mischief he is saved from the bull.  Real bullfighting is much more barbaric since we don't see the blood or any real injury in those cartoons.  For years I thought that all matadors did was wave a cape at a bull and dodge his horns, but the truth is rather horrifying.  WARNING: THE NEXT PART OF THIS BLOG CONTAINS PICTURES AND A VIDEO THAT ARE OF A VIOLENT AND GRAPHIC NATURE.
     

They are stabbed multiple repeatedly

The eyes of a victim

In the end they are killed 

     Bullfighting is flat out slaughter of bulls.  It is done for sport for the fans yelling in the stands.  In my opinion that there is no glory in ganging up on an animal and slaughtering it for pleasure.  Chevelle uses the metaphor to speak about how we treat each other.

All our needs put together

Don't bleed on their own

You paid for an eyeful

So behold the bull

Why can't I look up, out in the clearing

Tell me what's there below, end over end

While he's safe for the moment, guess what I'm learning

He's never safe from the crowd

So hats off to the bull

No giving up

Either way, it makes ya mad

Well some of us

Hats off to the bull, keep giving all

What ya say we make amends

To be monumental

Could mean the beyond

The simpler the treasure

Means the higher the cost

Well as for the ending, damn right I'm learning

You might ask for the door, end over end

Well I hate how the clouds hide

The gasps from above

So hats off to the bull

No giving up

Either way, it makes ya mad

Well some of us

Hats off to the bull, keep giving all

What ya say we make amends

Find your challenge, suffer miles

Colors gray, he brings them out

Don't mind the challenge, suffer miles

A little shallow, if I don't say

Hats off to the bull

His time ain't up

Bitter hell in the lion's den

For some of us

Hats off to the bull

The sun won't set

Till the pain and the final breath

So hats off to the bull

No giving up

Either way, it makes ya mad

Well some of us

Hats off to the bull, keep giving all

What ya say we make amends

Hats off to the bull, no giving up

Hats off to the bull, keep giving all

Hats off to the bull, no giving up

Hats off to the bull

     There is a lot of powerful imagery in the lyrics of this song.  The opening is no exception. "All our needs put together Don't bleed on their own You paid for an eyeful So behold the bull." The idea is that the person who is being treated like the bull has been purposely put there by their oppressors and they have made some sort of investment in their "prey".  The video showed a brief clip of the happy pastures that the bulls spend most of their time in, but being released before the crowd is the beginning of its swan song.  The underdog has no other choice to fight, and the odds are stacked so heavily against him that he has little hope of surviving.  I've seen and experienced the taunting of the bull.  If someone is weird and doesn't fit in the persecution and torment starts.  Its all for fun, but it is never fun for the underdog.  Beholding your quarry being brought down low makes you feel lifted.  That is one more person that you are better than, and if you were the so called "matador" you receive accolades from the group of bullies.  

     Chevelle is giving an ode to the underdog.  The metaphorical bull has no friends, freedom, or voice. This song is there call out in their name.   From what I've heard they are even specifically referring to government and the way our economy is continuing to go downward.  

     This is in many ways a continuation of last nights underdog call.  There is a lot of oppression of people by groups.  This song has a continuous theme of fighting back and not giving up.  "Hats off to the bull, no giving up Hats off to the bull, keep giving all" The video even shows how the bull continues to struggle and fight.  It gives everything that it can to fight back, and sometimes they hit home and score one for the underdog.

Unfortunately for the underdog the torment is constant and relentless. "His time ain't up Bitter hell in the lion's en For some of us Hats off to the bull The sun won't set Till the pain and the final breath" The oppressors keep stabbing away tearing at your vulnerable spots until you just can't take it anymore.  They bleed you dry and then move one as if everything was alright again.  In the end no no matter how much the underdog strives they lose a lot of battles.  Without encouragement or support of some kind they are likely to succumb, much like the bull, to the torment and lose all of the fight they have within them.

     The last lyric that I want to pull out comes at the end of the second verse.  "Well I hate how the clouds hide The gasps from above." The injustice is great and the idea of the oppressive crowds is blind to how horrific the whole ordeal is, and they can't see the reactions that occur in heaven.  They just continue demanding the blood of the innocent to be spilled to the satisfaction of their dark desires.

     This is how underdog week ends.  I thank you for coming along this journey with me through rants and raves.  I just wanted to share a what I have begun to hear from those around us.  There is a great need for love in this world, and we each have the opportunity to make those around us feel loved and appreciated no matter who they are.  The underdogs aren't a helpless group by any means.  They are strong.  The problem is that they are greatly mistreated, and their value is overlooked. 

     And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30, 31.

Happy Sabbath everyone!

Underdog Week: Day 4

     I've constantly heard the phrase "4 has more", and we are now at day four of underdog week and I certainly have more music for you.  I'm blogging earlier tonight than I have the rest of this week, and that is because I was able to get my hands on some NBA tickets to go see the Oklahoma City Thunder face the Orlando Magic.   I'm super stoked since this will be my first live NBA game.

    As underdog week continues to gain momentum I'm starting to get into the songs that well up compassion mixed with anger. The compassion reaches out to those oppressed and my anger is stirred at those who oppress them.  It is truly abhorring to really take a look at how we treat each other.  The reasons behind our actions are also more deeply rooted within us than we actually realize. There will be more on that later.

     Tonight's song belongs to the group Rise Against

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V

This band has been together since 1999, and as their name implies  they rise against social injustice. The band is known for its political lyrics and activism. They have a song entitled that speaks against global warming, and they actively support animal rights as well. Their musical style has become smoother over the years.  They have released six studio albums since their beginning and the 6th CD contains tonight's song.

Their CD Endgame was released on March 15th, 2011.  If you enjoy the occasional rock song I would suggest that you pick up their CD and just listen to the lyrics.  They are well constructed and thoroughly thought out.  The song that I'm going to focus on is Make it Stop (September's Children)

Woah, woah.

Bang bang go the coffin nails,

Like a breath exhaled,

Then gone forever.

It seems like just yesterday,

How did I miss the red flags raise?

Think back to the days we laughed

We braved these bitter storms together.

Brought to his knees he cried,

But on his feet he died.

What God would damn a heart?

And what God drove us apart?

What God could

Make it stop

Let this end

Eighteen years pushed to the ledge.

It's come to this,

A weightless step.

On the way down singing,

Woah, woah.

Bang bang from the closet walls,

The schoolhouse halls,

The shotgun's loaded.

Push me and I'll push back.

I'm done asking, I demand.

From a nation under God,

I feel it's love like a cattle prod.

Born free, but still they hate.

Born me, no I can't change.

It's always darkest just before the dawn.

So stay awake with me, let's prove them wrong.

Make it stop.

Let this end,

Eighteen years pushed to the ledge.

It's come to this,

A weightless step.

On the way down singing,

Woah, woah.

The cold river washed him away,

But how could we forget.

The gatherings hold candles

But not their tongues.

And too much blood has flown from the wrists,

Of the children shamed for those they chose to kiss.

Who will rise to stop the blood.

We're calling for

Insisting on

A different beat, yeah

A brand new song

Woah, woah.

(Tyler Clemente age 18)

A brand new song

Woah, woah.

(Billy Lucas age 15)

Woah, woah.

(Harrison Chase Brown age 15)

Woah, woah.

(Cody J. Barker age 17)

(Seth Walsh age 13)

Make it stop.

Let this end,

This life chose me, I'm not lost in sin

But proud I stand

Of who I am

I plan to go on living

Make it stop.

Let this end,

All these years pushed to the ledge.

But proud I stand

Of who I am

I plan to go on living

     This song takes a stand against a very specific type of bullying.  It is the type of bullying that targets those who are "different" from us. The discrimination of those gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders is depraved and comes from a place of insecurity.  I'm not pretending that I know what it is like to endure this type of torment, but I am trying to add my voice to the call that this can not be tolerated.  It makes me sick to hear stories of alienation and torment of anyone, and the bullying of these valuable people, and I'll say again people, seems to be much more harsh and unforgiving.  

     

     Growing up in the Adventist church the message was that these people were sinning, and I can not fully depict how much I have resented that notion as I have grown older.  As a society we seem to always be looking for reasons that we are better than others.  We look for anything that we can use to raise ourselves up above others.  I've ministered to a few gay couples over my time in the hospital.  I've always been nervous.  Not because of who they are, but because of who I am.  Christians tend to be the biggest oppressors when it comes to sexual preference.  I was worried that as a minister they would feel judged by me when in truth I hold as much compassion for them as I do anyone else I minister to.  

     "We're calling for a different beat yeah a brand new song." Things in our society need to change.  One of the most striking lines to me is, "One nation under God.  I feel it's love like a cattle prod."  This makes me think of the Westboro Baptist Church and how they chant how "God hates fags."  There is no God in that statement.  Everything about what they are saying goes against God's love.  From the Bible we learn that Jesus would have come to die even if only one human would repent.  I ask you what if that person was gay?  I believe that doesn't matter. "What God would damn a heart? And what God drove us apart? What God could Make it stop Let this end Eighteen years pushed to the ledge. it's come to this, A weightless step. On the way down singing, Woah, woah."  God loves each and every human that he created.  The God that I have found in the scriptures hurts for each of his children when they are bullied for being themselves.  There are some biblical passages that I still need to work through in regards to my own personal theology, but that is the journey I'm on.   I've heard the arguments that "It's just a chemical imbalance", "It's a choice", and others.  I have some friends who are gay and I have been told that it wasn't a choice for them.  They knew they were different, but couldn't explain why they didn't like girls.  

     I recently watched a documentary entitled, "The Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality"  In this documentary they talk about how people, especially if reminded of their mortality, can respond in a very violent manner against things that are different because of the perceived threat they pose against their most cherished beliefs.  Wars tend to boil down to social issues before anything else.  In 2001 our response to the tragedy in New York was war.  Our very foundations were shaken and we retaliated in a rather primitive manner.  In my opinion LGBT discrimination is a microcosm of this type of response.  

     The song's beginning revolves around a particular boy who jumped in the river and killed himself because he couldn't stand it anymore.  He bought into the lies that his bullies were telling him and found freedom.  "And too much blood has flown from the wrists, Of the children shamed for those they chose to kiss. Who will rise to stop the blood?"  I don't understand why we as a society look at the differences between us.  I'm striving to glorify similarities while celebrating the differences.  Life would be boring with only one color, and it would be stale with only one type of person. 


    "Brought to his knees he cried, But on his feet he died." I admire the courage of those individuals who have to face this torment face on.  They have a lot of strength and value that don't receive as much recognition as they should. It is my hope and prayer that we can learn to truly love each other.  I think people like Ellen Degeneres and Neil Patrick Harris can help turn things around.  These two people have come very far, and they have shown how similar every person is despite their sexual preference.  I can't say that I know anyone who doesn't like at least one of them. 

     That's a portion of my feelings on the topic.  If you want to pick my brain I'd be glad to share more.  This brings day 4 of Underdog week to a close, and I have to say I'm really excited about tomorrow's post.  It is going to be legend.... wait or iiiiiiit