April 06, 2007

lyrics - intro

Today I'm going to start something that I've been putting off for a long time. I am going to start posting lyrics that I enjoy.

The thing I enjoy most about lyrics is the way in which one's personal experience contextualizes the author's words. While this is a terrible way to interpret something absolute like Scripture, lyrics are not absolute. They aren't. I appreciate authors who embrace the ambiguity of their art form by not giving away the exact meaning of their words. That way, each reader's own experience gives meaning to the art in a way that may not happen otherwise. If one is able to gain greater appreciation for art, even by misunderstanding it, I don't have a problem with it.

I'm not sure if I will agree with these sentiments down the road. Maybe that's a slippery slope towards embracing ambiguity over clarity. Maybe it's being inconsistent. Maybe it's a legitimate (but by no means eloquent) thought. In any case, this is where I am at this point in time.

That said, from time to time I will post lyrics I like for one reason or another.

I do feel compelled to give a disclaimer. You as the reader may not feel comfortable reading everything I will be posting in the "Lyrics" category. While I don't plan on including anything terribly scandalous, proceed at your own risk. I also will not include any of my own thoughts about any given lyric for the reasons stated above: it's much more rewarding if you interpret them for yourself. Sometimes I sit and think "if [the author] intended this song to say what it means to me, they are a genius. If not, these words would have been a perfect way to say [what I took them to mean].

For the record, I will not put anything about the original author or band because most of you wouldn't recognize them anyway.

Finally, this topic will probably be a little front heavy because I've been postponing it for a while. After I cycle through the queue of lyrics I like, I may not have any more for a while.

Enjoy!

April 05, 2007

big (empty) bag of bagels

I walked into the office this morning and saw that someone had brought in a bag of fresh bagels for everyone. Unfortunately, I found out because I saw the cream cheese container on the table in the break room and saw the bag in the trash. I started to grumble in my heart until I was ashamed. I felt like the prophet Jonah when he complained about not having any more weed. (Sorry, I couldn't resist... that sentence practically wrote itself.) Odd joke from a straight-edger like myself, but I thought it was funny regardless.

It's funny how easily we start to grow accustomed to grace. Scary too. How can I possibly complain about not getting something I don't deserve (like yummy fresh bagels... mmm) and not be reminded that I don't get what I do deserve? Sometimes I would do well to put my hand over my mouth and just keep it shut. Or in this case, shut down my brain. Here's to killing that sarx and hanging him from the rafters! Praise God for empowerment.