Something About Music

Song lyrics seem to be one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. It seems like whatever I'm feeling, there's a song about it. I generally judge the "quality" of a song by deciding how well I relate with the words. Now, I say generally because that is not always the case. I've been known to like songs very well when I haven't the foggiest idea what they're talking about. But I can safely say, the majority of the time, I like a song because of its words. Sometimes I even trick myself and give the words my own meaning so that I can call the song one of my favorites. "Maybe this is what the singer was singing about, but I'll just say that it really means this." Other times, I change the lyrics all together and whenever I hear it on the radio, I sing along, but with my own unique wording.

I don't really know what it is about songs, but they've been a comfort to me for honestly as far back as I remember. From a young child on, in different situations, when I was afraid or frustrated, Psalty the Singing Songbook would come to mind singing to the Lord, "I cast all my cares upon You, I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet. And anytime I don't know what to do, I will cast all my cares upon You," or "We are the body of Christ, we are the body of Christ, together bringing His love to the world...we work together, we work together, we do it with cooperation..." There are thousands of Psalty's Kids Praise lyrics that I could continue typing, but we'll move on. Amy Grant also was a childhood favorite, "Angels watching over me, every move I make... angels watching over me, every step I take..." or "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path...When I feel afraid, And think I've lost my way, Still You're there right beside me. Nothing will I fear, as long as You are near. Please be with me to the end..." There were other songs from The Music Machine, G.T. and the Halo Express, Nanny Bird, and Evie that I really think not only taught me important concepts and values but also gave me an appreciation for song lyrics as well as for different styles of music.

As I grew older, music and songs became more and more important. My grandparents and my mom had fun record collections and record players. I listened to a great variety of music that way. I tried out the violin and took piano lessons, I sang in community and school choir. My dad sang strong and well and my mom played piano and I remember wanting to be like that. Later I played the trumpet, I began wanting my own tapes and then CDs (I remember hearing a CD for the first time - 4th grade music class), I listened to the radio, I took dance lessons (which is just another extension of music), and I decided I wanted to become a rhythmic gymnast who would dance around with a long flowing ribbon. My sister, our friends, and I would go out to the church's preschool playground with a little tape recorder and play music while doing "routines" on all the equipment to the different songs. Swing and cement barrel routines were the favorites. I often imagined myself winning many an Olympic gold medal there on that playground.

I was very blessed in that way, to be so surrounded by music.

Lyrics became extra special to me in high school when I realized that artists were giving me words to put to the different emotions faced in high school. In one study hall, a couple friends and I filled up the cover of a notebook with our favorite lines from songs... most all of them being about "love." One time I remember, to comfort myself after having my heart a bit bruised, I carried around a piece of paper with the lyrics from Linda Ronstadt's "Long, Long Time" and Roger and Hammerstein's "Many a New Day." I remember pulling it out a few times and finding solace within the words.

Hmm... I think I may reflect further in the near future about lyrics and how they can be comforting and attracting, but also how different lyrics can be dangerous if I allow them to more "define" how I am feeling rather than just express it. I think that's maybe why God has given us an entire book of psalms, or songs that do help teach and direct us to the truth of His grace. Because songs, because words, are powerful.

But I've really got to go for now!