City on Our Knees

Analysis Method: "MALL"
Key -
M = What is the meaning of the lyrics?
A = The lyrics are clearly against Biblical teaching.
L = I don't know what the Bible says about these lyrics.
L = I can glorify God when I listen to these lyrics. 

Verse:
If you gotta start somewhere why not here.
If you gotta start sometime why not now.
If we gotta start somewhere I say here.
If we gotta start sometime I say now.
Through the fog there is hope in the distance.
From Cathedrals to third world missions.
Love will fall to the earth like a crashing wave.

Chorus:
Tonight's the night! for the sinners and the saints.
Two worlds collide! in a beautiful display.
It's all love tonight, when you step across the line.
We can sail across the sea, to a city with one King.
A city on our knees.

Verse:
If you gotta start somewhere why not here.
If you gotta start sometime why not now.
If we gotta start somewhere I say here.
If we gotta start sometime I say now.
Through the fog there is hope in the distance.
From Cathedrals to third world missions.
Love will fall to the earth like a crashing wave.

Chorus:
Tonight's the night! for the sinners and the saints.
Two worlds collide! in a beautiful display.
It's all love tonight, when you step across the line.
We can sail across the sea, to a city with one King.
A city on our knees.

Bridge:
Tonight couldn't last forever.
We are one choice from together.
Tonight couldn't last forever.    Oh

Tonight couldn't last forever.
We are one choice from together.
Family, We're family.  OH!!!
Tonight couldn't last forever!
We are one choice from together!
You and me! yeah, You and me!

Chorus:
Tonight's the night! for the sinners and the saints.
Two worlds collide! in a beautiful display.
It's all love tonight, when you step across the line.
We can sail across the sea, to a city with one King.
A city on our knees.

Ending:
If we gotta start somewhere why not here.
If we gotta start sometime why not now.

This song came in by a student's request, and while I had heard this song before, I had never really listened to it. The benefit of this song is that it is entirely safe to listen to - and, as I always tell my students, I don't assume that just because this is a Christian song that it is all okay to listen to. The Scriptures are clear that there can be deception and false teachings, and so I always try to be careful not to make assumptions. In this case, though, I don't see anything wrong with this song.

With that said, I want to try to share some other thoughts on this song with as much grace and humility as possible. Quite honestly, I don't entirely understand the lyrics of this song. From the verse of this song I read of a person considering following after Christ but who is unsure. The verse encourages them to go forward in walking with Christ because, "through the fog there is hope in the distance." My guess of "from Cathedrals to third world missions" is a call away from materialism towards action for the Gospel.

Then, the chorus continues with "stepping across the line," which I would again take to be referring to making a decision to follow Christ. My take of the "sinners and the saints" would be the people who are already pronounced forgiven by Jesus' sacrifice (1 Peter 2:9-10 is one passage that comes to mind). Moving on to the chorus, we get the idea "one choice" - to follow Christ - which would result in becoming part of the family of God (Col 1:18; Gal 3:27-29; Ro 12:4-5) Beyond that, though, I'm a little confused by the end of the chorus. "We can sail across the sea, to a city with one King" makes sense as New Jerusalem, or Heaven (with the sailing metaphor being a common one for the journey from death to the afterlife), but then it goes from there to "a city on our knees." Is he referring to that future location in the present tense, as though we who are followers of Christ are there? Or is he referring to the present using the imagery of "on our knees" as referring to prayer? Finally, the connection to the ending of starting somewhere is not entirely apparent to me. Maybe he's meaning the journey of the mature follower of Jesus and the new follower of Jesus moving on together towards eternity with God?

Am I completely over thinking this song? Is there some more obvious meaning? Because honestly, based on the lyrics, the song's meaning seems a bit obscure to me. I get the sense that the artists are going for portraying the beautiful imagery of a sinner, lost and without a future with God, giving their lives over to Christ, becoming part of God's family, and then having the hope of future glory. 

Musically speaking, there isn't much to talk about in this song. It sounds very synthesized to me, especially in the repeat of the verse. I don't have any against this particular style, but honestly there isn't enough content there to really hold my interest.

So, where does that leave this analysis overall? I hope that my students and others are more moved by this song than I am. I'm sure the writers and Toby Mac intended for there to be a great meaning; I just don't entirely get it.

If we add the official video into the question, the picture doesn't become much clearer for me... I'm still not sure what imagery the authors mean for a "city on our knees." I also find the metaphor displayed in the video to be, well, just a bit strange. I can't entirely explain it, and I really don't want to be too critical. The pieces of this song just don't connect for me.

What Have I Been Listening To? (December 2013)

This is the first in a new series of posts I hope to add to the blog. Once I month I would like to share an assortment of songs that I have been listening to (beyond the ones that I am studying for the blog). These are all songs that I hope would be considered as beneficial to listen to and safe from a Christian point of view!

Beethoven's "Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major" (here's just the first movement)

Bach's "Chaconne in D minor" from Partita for Violin No. 2

"Second Chance" by Rend Collective Experiment

"Build Your Kingdom Here" by Rend Collective Experiment

"Great is Your Glory" by Vicky Beeching

"Become One of the People" by James Horner (from the movie: "Avatar." Note that I have some major issues with the film from a Christian viewpoint; however, I glean this song - and other songs composed for the movie - as great works worth holding onto)

"Grace" by Jimmy Be Free

"Thank You God for Saving Me" by Chris Tomlin, featuring Phil Wickham

"Shabbat Medley" by Mezumenet    

Black

English Translation (Korean lyrics at the bottom):

The color of my heart is black

It was burnt to black, just like that

I break glass whenever I feel like

And I look at my bloody hands and think, why am I like this

Your smile is shining gold

But the way you speak, feel so cold

As time goes by, you’re becoming more like me

Sometimes I feel like karma is running after me, know

The real name of love is definitely hatred

Hope is the parent of disappointment and despair

Why didn’t I know that the shadow that has casted over my face

Was created from the light called, you

It has been a while since the time between you and I have stopped

Misunderstanding is always the cause of pain

Well I don’t even know myself

So my hope for you to know me is a misunderstanding itself

People smile with an effort, hiding the truth

As if they’re happy

While hiding the lie in the word love

As if it will be forever

The color of my gloomy world is black

The beginning and end change, black and white

People are cunning, sometime become delusional

Really why am I like this, why

Those lips are red, just like red lies

As time goes by, the language between the two

The colors that each one has don’t mesh, yeah

The real name of love is definitely hatred

Hope is the parent of disappointment and despair

Why didn’t I know that the shadow that has casted over my face

Was created from the light called, you

Since I’ve met you agony is the only thing left

Everyday is series of hills of hardships and temptation

Now I sing of breaking up, I tell you

This is my last confession

People smile with an effort, hiding the truth

As if they’re happy

While hiding the lie in the word love

As if it will be forever

Someday when I’m left at the edge of the world alone

I might miss you yeah

Someday when I’m tamed to the edge of sadness

I might regret at the end

I’m going to go back to the way I came from, black

The summer when you and I were hot, it’s been too long

I’m going to go back to the way I came from, black

The summer when you and I were hot, it’s been too long

Fade away fade away fade away fade away

Fade away fade away fade away fade away

1. Is there anything good I can hold on to from this song?

No... I can't really find anything. I at least give the song credit for musically and lyrically characterizing itself well. The song is pretty "black" and depressing.

2. Is there anything true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, or praiseworthy in this song?

I'm taking this statement out of context a little, but there is some sad truth in the statement, "People smile with an effort, hiding the truth as if they're happy." In the song, the artist is saying that people's unhappiness comes from an illusion that love can last forever. Where I see truth in that statement comes from my experience that people (including myself) often have trouble expressing how we are really feeling. This leads to a lot of pretending and illusions, even in relation to (and maybe especially in relation to) the people we should be closest to.

Beyond that, I don't see any of the other qualities in this song.

3. When I listen to this song, does my thinking become conformed or transformed?

One statement in particular that I had to think through was,"Well I don't even know myself  so my hope for you to know me is a misunderstanding itself." This has a ring of wisdom to it and I suppose there could be a case for seeing how we can often expect unreasonable things out of people. To the artist's credit, this song does not just go off blaming the other person. The narrator of this song is going through quite a bit of self-reflection, a quality of itself that is very important.

What is so sad to me are the conclusions this person reaches. He claims he doesn't know himself and that his heart has been "burnt to black." If I could sit down with this person, I would want to tell him that he CAN know himself and even that his charred, black heart could be replaced with a brand new one.

Scripture is clear that in God we have someone who knows us better than we could ever know ourselves... And when we listen for him to tell us about ourselves, incredible things can happen. Scripture has several examples - Moses, Gideon, David, Paul to name just a few - of people who turned to God to find out who they truly were. And in those callings, they truly found life and purpose.

4. Does this song cause me to set my mind on things above or on earthly things?

Relationships are a substance of Heaven. Unfortunately, this song only points me to all the fallen aspects of relationships. One surprising statements in particular that shows just how twisted the view is would be "The real name of love is definitely hatred / Hope is the parent of disappointment and despair." That makes me think of a verse I recently read in the Bible: "You hate good and love evil" (Micah 3:2). This was spoken to the leaders of Israel and, to me, confirms how Truth can get reversed and great confusion can happen. Scripture also makes the claim that "the heart is more deceitful than anything else" (Jeremiah 17:9) and in summary that is probably the main thing I hear in this song. From a troubled relationship. The narrator's entire worldview takes a dark spiral into lies and half-truths that are devoid of the hope offered by Jesus - "I have come so that you might have life more fully" (John 10:10).

5. Is this song leading me to feel anger, rage, malice, or slander?

I definitely see these qualities in this song. We have the beginning part with the breaking glass, then he talks about her casting a shadow over his face, then we have the part about agony being the only thing he's felt since breaking up, and then we have the deal about maybe missing her if he was standing at the edge of the world alone. It's hard to say what emotions are here for sure, especially since the musical quality of the song doesn't sound so angry. I suppose a better way to characterize what I'm hearing is by calling it extreme bitterness, which I would say deserves a place along with anger/rage/malice/slander.

6. Does this song contain filthy language or encourage me to use filthy language?

No

7. Is this song calling me to pursue youthful passions?

Because this is song is setup to be more of a personal, story-telling and emotional sharing format, I don't see that it's encouraging people towards youthful passion; however, many of the ways that this situation is portrayed are pretty immature in their approach.

8. Can I listen to this song in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him?

No, there's no way. It's not because this is a sad song dealing with some difficult issues. Christians are absolutely free to express genuine lament in hard times; the Bible is full of those examples of people crying out to God to make sense of hardship... but therein lies the problem. This song is entirely self-focused and depressing. I hear no expressions of hope, and I don't even really see angles to be able to draw hope out of ie. The song is just... well, "black," and I can think of plenty of other song choices that would be more beneficial for me to spend my time listing to.

 내 심장의 색깔은 black

시커멓게 타버려 just like that

틈만 나면 유리를 깨부수고

피가 난 손을 보고 난 왜 이럴까 왜

네 미소는 빛나는 gold

하지만 말투는 feel so cold

갈수록 날 너무 닮아가

가끔씩은 karma가 뒤쫓는 것 같아

사랑의 본명은 분명히 증오

희망은 실망과 절망의 부모

어느새 내 얼굴에 드리워진 그림자가

너란 빛에서 생긴 걸 몰랐을까

너와 내 사이에 시간은 멈춘 지 오래

언제나 고통의 원인은 오해

하기야 나도 날 모르는데

네가 날 알아주길 바라는 것 그 자체가 오해

사람들은 다 애써 웃지 진실을 숨긴 채

그저 행복한 것처럼

사랑이란 말 속 가려진 거짓을 숨긴 채

마치 영원할 것처럼

우울한 내 세상의 색깔은 black

처음과 끝은 변해 흑과 백

사람이란 간사해 가끔 헛된 망상에 들어

정말 난 왜 이럴까 왜

그 입술은 새빨간 red

거짓말처럼 새빨갛게

갈수록 둘만의 언어가

서로 가진 color가 안 맞는 것 같아

사랑의 본명은 분명히 증오

희망은 실망과 절망의 부모

어느새 내 얼굴에 드리워진 그림자가

너란 빛에서 생긴 걸 몰랐을까

너를 만나고 남은 건 끝 없는 고뇌

날마다 시련과 시험의 연속 고개

이젠 이별을 노래해 네게 고해

이건 내 마지막 고해

사람들은 다 애써 웃지 진실을 숨긴 채

그저 행복한 것처럼

사랑이란 말 속 가려진 거짓을 숨긴 채

마치 영원할 것처럼

Someday 세상의 끝에 홀로 버려진 채

널 그리워 할지도 yeah

Someday 슬픔의 끝에 나 길들여진 채

끝내 후회 할지도 몰라

나 돌아갈게 내가 왔던 그 길로 BLACK

너와 내가 뜨거웠던 그 여름은 IT’S BEEN TO LONG X 2

FADE AWAY FADE AWAY FADE AWAY FADE AWAY X 2

SQUILT Set 3, #2 - "Missa Pange Lingua: Kyrie"

Title: "Kyrie" from Missa Pange Lingua
Artist: Josquin Des Prez
Genre: Renaissance

Notes: Missa Pange Lingua is a setting of the "ordinary" of the Catholic mass. The ordinary of the mass is the part that does not change, made up of the "Kyrie," "Gloria," "Credo," "Sanctus," and "Agnus Dei" (all Latin names). "Pange lingua" in English is a command for our tongues to sing praises to God. This work was very influential for later composers who often imitated parts of it in their own compositions.

Related Artists: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Claudio Monteverdi, Henry Purcell, Georg Friedrich Handel

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

Alive In This Moment

I'm not sure if it seemed this way or not, but last week's post on Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags was quite the mental workout for me! I decided to go a little easier this week and post a song that was sent in by a student.

Analysis Method: "MALL"

Key -

M = What is the meaning of the lyrics?

A = The lyrics are clearly against Biblical teaching.

L = I don't know what the Bible says about these lyrics.

L = I can glorify God when I listen to these lyrics.

Some of my thoughts are included in gray.

Lyrics

Verse 1
It's been so long since I have met you here
Since I have said these words or cried these tears

And like a child would come I run into our secret place
And as the music fades the tears are rolling down my face

Chorus
I am alive in this moment
In this moment I am found
I am alive in this moment
In this moment I belong - who of us doesn't want to feel included? This makes me think of Psalm 139.

It's been so long since I have met you here
Since I have heard you speak or let you near

And like a wayward son I've come with nothing left to hide - Luke 15:11-32

Here in this moment I have come to offer up my life

(Chorus)

Bridge
Here only one fire burns
Here only one melody is heard - in 3rd grade music we have talked about polyphony, the layering of melodies without necessarily assigning a greater value on any of them. Sometimes that can be done to amazing effect; other times it can make music seem "muddy" sounding or jumbled (the issue of whether or not polyphony was acceptable in church was actually discussed in the Council of Trent, the Catholic church's counter to the Protestant Reformation). In terms of metaphor, I think I would liken the beauty of polyphony to the working of the church (1 Corinthians 12) whereas the thematic material for the whole work comes from God himself - Psalm 32:7, 40:3, 42:8, and Zephaniah 3:17 come to mind.

Once again for the very first time
My eyes are opening

(Chorus)

I would call this an overall simple and straightforward sort of song. Musically speaking, I'm not sure there is much to write about; I think it goes pretty well as we could expect it to go. While the song itself never gives any specifics, the information I have read about the band fuels my initial interpretation, which is that this song is about a very relational encounter with God. There is definitely an emotional aspect to the encounter, but I don't see it as over-emotionalism. I appreciate the balance that this song strikes between back-and-forth communication from an attitude that is ultimately surrendered.