Sometime in the last year, a Christian musical group issued a statement that they were not going to create any songs with lyrics that were hard to understand or too intricate or complex. Out of a desire to say exactly what they were thinking, they decided to make their songs clear and obvious.When I heard about this, I thought two things. First, I understood their desire to be true to their convictions and speak the truth as clearly as possible. Many times it is possible to hide behind aesthetics or create lyrics so intricate or obscure that they never say anything at all. For those wishing to speak to others about the truth of God's work in their life, it makes sense to talk plainly.
On the other hand, I miss poetry. I need it.
I need beauty.
I need mystery.
I need to feel real longing.
Plain words don't always provide this.
Sometimes I feel that to speak of Truth...to speak of God...to speak of life in any other terms than mystery is profoundly misguided.
One of the reasons I like music or art or anything else that has a complicated and mysterious message is because it is complicated. Because it requires work. Because, as my friend Jen commented, it allows us in our efforts to find meaning the ability to gain insight into and ask interesting questions of our own meanings--the truths that God has shown to us.
All this came about because of the song "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. Among other things, it's a haunting melody used at the end of the Shrek movie. Here are some of the lyrics:
Now I've heard there was a secret chord/ That David played, and it pleased the Lord/ But you don't really care for music, do you?/ It goes like this/ The fourth, the fifth/ The minor fall, the major lift/ The baffled king composing Hallelujah/ Hallelujah/ Hallelujah/ Hallelujah/
I don't know what it's all about, but I do know this: its beautiful and somehow true and makes me think of things I wouldn't have before listening to it.
And that's a good thing...
1 comment:
I, too, agree with your observation. I am also facinated with the beauty found in complexity. Ironically, people (in their zeal to take the Bible literally) forget that some of the Bible and (gasp!) much of what Jesus said was not literal. People will disagree with this approach to the Bible especially prophesy, but most will admit that Jesus' parables were not particularly easy to understand. His disciples were not literary scholars and had to have the simple meanings shown to them because of the complex way in which they were told.
Many people are loath to use their minds when approaching Christianity. I'm reminded each day, however, that I'm still supposed to love God with all my mind too.
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