i've just had one (wow, i just typed 'won' instead of 'one'..haha) of those moments when you, for the first time, properly listen to the lyrics on an album/song that you hadn't really appreciated/paid attention to before. you can never ever recreate that first moment when you discover some great words, or for some reason finally understand a passage in a song for the first time; a passage that beforehand you had never been able to grasp, or draw meaning from/relate to.
for me, it was within a few Mumford & Sons songs tonight.
an around-the-edge definition that i found for 'Timshel', one of Mumford's song titles:
my [elders] felt that these words were very important too — ‘Thou shalt’ and ‘Do thou.’ And this was the gold from our mining: ‘Thou mayest.’ ‘Thou mayest rule over sin.’ ...
the American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. the King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. but the Hebrew word, the word timshel — ‘Thou mayest’ — that gives a choice. it might be the most important word in the world. that says the way is open. that throws it right back on a man. for if ‘Thou mayest’ — it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’ ...
now, there are millions in their sects and churches who feel the order, ‘Do thou,’ and throw their weight into obedience. And there are millions more who feel predestination in ‘Thou shalt.’ nothing they may do can interfere with what will be. but ‘Thou mayest’! why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. he can choose his course and fight it through and win.
within Timshel:
- death is at your doorstep, and it will steal your innocence. it will not steal your substance.
- you are the mother..the mother of your baby child; the one to whom you gave life.
- you have your choices and these are what make man great; his ladder to the stars.
- you are not alone in this. as brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand.
- and I will tell the night, whisper, 'lose your sight'. but I can't move the mountains for you.
within Awake My Soul:
- how fickle my heart and how woozie my eyes.
- lend me your eyes I can change what you see.
- where you invest your love, you invest your life.
when preparing for a performance, (or , I feel, when about to create anything,) begin with the drive to give, to communicate, to share, to inspire..this positive approach dissolves all nervousness and anxiety which is born out of fear and judgement.
i really really really want to read Cloud Atlas..i encourage you to look it up on wikipedia for a pretty great summary ! i really hope the library has it, i’m planning to get right into it post-final exams/schoolies and what-have-you. one of my favourite, most thought-provoking/mind-opening quotes comes from the very end of that book ('Only as you gasp your dying breath shall you understand, your life amounted to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean! Yet what is any ocean but a multitude of drops?' = referenced in a post a little earlier, here).
i've absolutely adored this song since day one. i think i first heard it on the radio about 2-3 years ago and its still in my top 10/20 songs..i'm not even really sure why. it's so romeo/juliet-esque, but i just think it's fanastic. and every time i hear it, i still feel exactly the same way as i did when i first came across this song. (and i haven't watched this/the video clip, so if it's incredibly hopeless or off-putting..dont judge me on it haha. just have it playing in the background while you do other stuff on the computer. i just wanted an audio clip of it to throw in here :D)
i present to you, O Valencia - The Decemberists:
for me, it was within a few Mumford & Sons songs tonight.
an around-the-edge definition that i found for 'Timshel', one of Mumford's song titles:
my [elders] felt that these words were very important too — ‘Thou shalt’ and ‘Do thou.’ And this was the gold from our mining: ‘Thou mayest.’ ‘Thou mayest rule over sin.’ ...
the American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. the King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. but the Hebrew word, the word timshel — ‘Thou mayest’ — that gives a choice. it might be the most important word in the world. that says the way is open. that throws it right back on a man. for if ‘Thou mayest’ — it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’ ...
now, there are millions in their sects and churches who feel the order, ‘Do thou,’ and throw their weight into obedience. And there are millions more who feel predestination in ‘Thou shalt.’ nothing they may do can interfere with what will be. but ‘Thou mayest’! why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. he can choose his course and fight it through and win.
within Timshel:
- death is at your doorstep, and it will steal your innocence. it will not steal your substance.
- you are the mother..the mother of your baby child; the one to whom you gave life.
- you have your choices and these are what make man great; his ladder to the stars.
- you are not alone in this. as brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand.
- and I will tell the night, whisper, 'lose your sight'. but I can't move the mountains for you.
within Awake My Soul:
- how fickle my heart and how woozie my eyes.
- lend me your eyes I can change what you see.
- where you invest your love, you invest your life.
when preparing for a performance, (or , I feel, when about to create anything,) begin with the drive to give, to communicate, to share, to inspire..this positive approach dissolves all nervousness and anxiety which is born out of fear and judgement.
i really really really want to read Cloud Atlas..i encourage you to look it up on wikipedia for a pretty great summary ! i really hope the library has it, i’m planning to get right into it post-final exams/schoolies and what-have-you. one of my favourite, most thought-provoking/mind-opening quotes comes from the very end of that book ('Only as you gasp your dying breath shall you understand, your life amounted to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean! Yet what is any ocean but a multitude of drops?' = referenced in a post a little earlier, here).
i've absolutely adored this song since day one. i think i first heard it on the radio about 2-3 years ago and its still in my top 10/20 songs..i'm not even really sure why. it's so romeo/juliet-esque, but i just think it's fanastic. and every time i hear it, i still feel exactly the same way as i did when i first came across this song. (and i haven't watched this/the video clip, so if it's incredibly hopeless or off-putting..dont judge me on it haha. just have it playing in the background while you do other stuff on the computer. i just wanted an audio clip of it to throw in here :D)
i present to you, O Valencia - The Decemberists:
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