Apparently, the 2014 Grammy nominations were just released, and I only know this because of a few sporadic Facebook posts and checking Buzzfeed when I had nothing to do at work. I decided to look at the nominees, knowing that any "...of the Year" candidates that I am familiar with was probably due to me listening against my will, since I detest probably 95% of "popular" music. And, of course, one of the first songs I see is "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke, which aroused a little bit of angry judgment in my soul due to that disgusting performance with Miley Cyrus and, well, the disgusting nature of the song itself.
Now, anyone who knows me knows that I listen to the not-too-popular genre of "hardcore". For those unfamiliar, no--I am not talking about "screamo"; I'm talking about a mix of old school punk rock with perhaps a pinch or two of heavy metal, performed by kids who love to make music and don't really care how much money they make. These kids (I call them kids because they are usually in their late teens or early 20's) make music that typically has a message that strikes a chord in the heart of the listener, if he or she takes the time to truly listen to what is being said, which is understandably difficult due to the "aggressive" delivery of the message (that is, they scream/yell). The problem with much of today's music is just the opposite--our ears hear a catchy rhythm, which (I would say) shrouds a lyrical message that is morally questionable at best.
This is not really a post to make you listen to hardcore or not listen to whatever genre of music you enjoy. I want this to be a peak into the music that I love to give the genre its due appreciation and justice. Believe it or not, I find this music beautiful. I sometimes get quite defensive when someone pokes fun at my taste in music, as if it means I can't appreciate beauty or have a skewed view of what beauty is. What I find beautiful is an unadulterated view inside the human soul, which is free to speak without filters or censorship of love, pain, God, confusion, friendship, loneliness, addiction, sin, anger, convictions--truly the entire spectrum of humanity--and deliver the words in a way that best describes the feeling.
Now, here are the lyrics of some of my favorite songs from some of my favorite bands, both Christian and non-Christian. I could say more about the beauty of these under-appreciated artists, but I will let their music speak for itself. Click the links if you want to listen, or just read them as if they were poems if you wish. Just see the beauty of the songs I take in everyday, despite what they may sound like. (Yes, these are only a few and there are other bands I enjoy that may not quite fit the description I gave, but these are indicative of what I find to be the best, and this is my blog so I do what I want!)
THE GHOST INSIDE (The title of the post comes from their song "Thirty Three," which is about the impact of music in the band's life and also being blessed to be able to have that impact on their listeners' lives.)
Chrono. This is a bit more fun than the other songs in the list (and so is the video). Here is their official description of the song: "Time is a funny thing. You spend the first part of your life wanting it to just speed up, and the rest of your life wishing it would slow down. Chrono is about taking a step back, and making the most of the time you can control; right now."
And in and out of my mind
We live and obey with some kind of hate.
Dreading the time to come when we've got no, no time at all.
I wanna take the time to stop
And think about doing this
And what it might mean to be.
When I close my eyes, there's nothing but darkness revealed,
It’s right there in front of me.
Looking forward for a taste of things to come,
I can't see familiar faces on anyone.
Life is trying to pass me by,
But not this time.
I am not afraid.
You're not getting older, you're just getting old.
And your finish wears thin as your stories get told.
Yet you've somehow impressed her, she's already sold.
The one page in your book that's still shining in gold says:
"Wishing for the years to flash by has left me blind.
Waiting for the few fleeting moments where the world makes sense to me."
I wanna take the time to stop
And think about doing this
And what it might mean to be.
When I close my eyes, there's nothing but darkness revealed,
It’s right there in front of me.
Looking forward for a taste of things to come,
I can't see familiar faces on anyone.
Life is trying to pass me by,
But not this time.
I am not afraid.
I am not afraid.
The search continues for a taste of things to come,
I can't see familiar faces on anyone.
Life is trying its best to pass by,
But not this time.
I am not afraid.
HAVE HEART
The Same Son. A song that seems to describe what I say to myself at my lowest, especially the first line. Now, this may seem quite negative, but I do struggle with negatively viewing myself. HH used this song to kick off an album that does turn around in the end.
When I look into the mirror I see:
A boy not a man
the son of a father I refuse to understand
the "brother" of a brother like a wound I neglect
the coward of a sister with the world I forget
the prodigal son, but I am yet to return
from a siege where I take refuge but I want to watch burn
your lover, your companion, your champion, your friend
forever by your side but not in the end
The fortunate son who dwells in the city,
with the poorest of the poor, still, I ask for your pity
and while there's a man who sleeps on the ice-cold streets
his godsend not me, but in his cardboard: his sheets
yet, I still see the same son.
No Roses, No Skies. The lyricist wrote this song about his sister, and how he can see her beauty even when the world can't. In a world that objectifies women constantly, this shows such heartfelt appreciation from a man who wants nothing more than to see his sister flourish.
She's a song unsung
She's the wild orchid in your ugly swamp
She's a song unsung
And only the white walls of her mind know what that song sounds like.
The pills, the pills
and Dr.'s promises just ain't doing the trick
cause the arms of nothing she falls asleep in
can still bring the razor to the wrist.
The TV screens, the magazines
scream at you like the dogs of hell
advertising and advising you to be
anyone but your beautiful self.
Prince Charming never brought you flowers,
just a loveless lifetime all alone.
No roses for you, just unlocked doors,
and the deafening silence of your phone.
So block your ears, close your eyes,
remember that you're a golden soul fallen from the
boring, heartless, Hollywood herd of lies that they call:
Beautiful.
With no shoulder, no hand, no body, no man, no door,
no heart to let you:
The sun can take too long
to end the endless night
I hear you, I feel you, I bleed with you
when our hearts begin to scream:
This life can feel too long.
But at night you're dancing through the pain
even when you're the only one.
No rose, no sky as full of beauty as the girl who dies
but rises with every morning's sun,
alone.
She dances alone
Alone - so beautiful
Alone - her own romance;
Alone - Lady Lazarus' life sustaining dance.
CONVEYER
Resist/Admit. This is a song I heard only a few days ago, but I've been jamming it every since. More often than I'd like to admit, I feel distanced and even angry at God when I feel like He is reckless in where He leads me in life. Yet, in the undeserved grace of Jesus Christ, I can come before Him and repent for my insolence.
To make You feel this way?
I gave You everything I have.
You took it all away.
Do I deserve the pain I feel
And this emptiness?
Am I alone? (where's my home?)
Are You still listening?
I can't afford to give You more.
This wasn't what I was looking for.
What will it take to make You understand?
I don't know if I can trust You.
It's getting harder just to love You.
What happened to Your so-called "perfect plan?"
Farther and farther away.
I find myself falling apart.
Deeper and deeper I sink.
Reaching for You, I'm reaching for You.
Carry me.
Bring me peace.
Asking questions still unanswered.
Please, oh God, give me a sign.
I feel as though I'm falling faster,
Carrying what isn't mine.
The questions asked have all been answered.
The blame I placed became my hell.
Left with nothing at the bottom
Of the hole I dug myself.
I blame myself.
Undeserving.
Ungrateful.
(Yet God, with undeserved kindness,
Declares that we are righteous.
He did this through Christ Jesus
When he freed us
From the penalty for our sins.)
Please forgive me for all that I've done.
I'm defeated, a shameful son.
I have nothing to offer You.
I'm on my knees in front of You.
Take my life. Have it all.
Just give me grace and hear my call.
EVERYTHING IN SLOW MOTION
Speak. This is a song from an upcoming album that should be amazing. It is in the form of a three-act play centering around an addict, the first act dealing with the conflict between his addiction and hope in God, the second describing his headfirst dive into his addiction, and the final being his redemption in Christ. This song comes from the first act, as the addict screams out for God to speak to him.
Who would I be? Sometimes it isn't enough. But if I linger here for a while, you will only hear me speak. If I could hear you.
Speak into our hearts, a song to shake the earth. Love will light the way that leads us home. There is something buried underneath this concrete floor. From a seed, fragile sprouts are pushing upwards. If I could see like you do, but I can't so I won't pretend. But I feel it. One day those sprouts are going to break through the surface.
There's a question that connects us all. Is there more than life and death? And even though we all take different roads, it burns within our chests. I don't need the signs and wonders, no scientific proof. Speak to me. Speak into my heart, a song to shake the earth. Will I live forever? Or will I disappear? My mind is searching for answers. My heart saying it's never been so clear.
Speak into our hearts, a song to shake my perfect world. Love will light the way that leads us home.
Induction + Who I Am. This is all about who one is in Christ, and that all--no matter how despised by the world--can enter the Kingdom through Him.
The Kingdom of God is for the burnouts, the broken, and the broke, the drug addicts, the divorced, the HIV positive, the herpes-ridden, the hopeless, for the outcasts that have been created by the church, and for the outcasts of our society that have been created by us.
The Kingdom of God is for the brain damaged, the incurably ill, for the barren, for the pregnant too many times, and the pregnant at the wrong time. This is for the over-employed, the underemployed, the unemployable, and the unemployed. This is for the swindled, the shoved aside, the left aside, the replaced, the incompetent, and the stupid. This is for the emotionally starved and the emotionally dead. The Kingdom of God is for the bigoted, the murderers, the child molesters, the brutals, the drug lords, the terrorists, the perverted, the raging alcoholics, over consumers, the incredibly ugly, the dumb, the ignorant, the starving, the filled, and the filthy rich. The Kingdom of God is for everyone and the Kingdom of God is for me."
This is who I am!
I'll walk out this Kingdom not as a duty but an honor
Now called a son, I've been set free from the slavery of sin
And when I fall, I stand in the face of darkness and I say:
This is who I am
My father has freed my past, present, and future
He doesn't see what I see, He doesn't see what you see
He sees my destiny and calls me to be a son
This is who I am, in the midst of a firefight; You've called me a son.
This is who I am, by the power of the risen death and what You have done
This is who I am, all I've been and who I've become
This is who I am, who I am: I'm a son!
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