Hmmm, I think this is my new favorite song for the moment.
You and I
Ingrid Michaelson
Don’t you worry there my honey
We might not have any money
But we’ve got our love to pay the bills
Maybe I think you’re cute and funny
Maybe I wanna do want bunnies do with you if you know what I mean
Oh lets get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
Lets get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance
Lets get rich and build a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants
From way up there, you and I, you and I
Well you might be a bit confused
And you might be a little bit bruised
But baby how we spoon like no one else
So I will help you read those books
If you will soothe my worried looks
And we will put the lonesome on the shelf
Lets get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
Lets get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance
Lets get rich and build a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants
From way up there, you and I, you and I
Lets get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
Lets get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance
Lets get rich and build a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants
From way up there, you and I, you and I
For those of you who know me, you know that I love discovering music and lately I’ve really come to like JJ Heller. I don’t remember exactly how I came across her, I think iTunes had recommended one of her other songs to me and I stumbled across this one.
It’s a beautiful song that takes a glimpse at three different people who are going through different trials and really wanting to know what love is. At the end they hear, "I will love, you for you. Not for what you have done or what you will become." What powerful words, especially for those who really need to hear it. While human relationships and love can let us down, the love of God doesn’t, which is pretty awesome.
The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" – Zephaniah 3:17
Love Me
JJ Heller
He cries in the corner where nobody sees
He’s the kid with the story no one would believe
He prays every night, Dear God won’t you please
Could you send someone here who will love me?
Who will love me for me
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me
Cause nobody has shown me what love
What love really means
Her office is shrinking a little each day
She’s the woman whose husband has run away
She’ll go to the gym after working today
Maybe if she was thinner
Then he would’ve stayed
And she says
Who will love me for me?
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me?
Cause nobody has shown me what love, what love really means
He’s waiting to die as he sits all alone
He’s a man in a cell who regrets what he’s done
He utters a cry from the depths of his soul
Oh Lord, forgive me, I want to go home
Then he heard a voice somewhere deep inside
And it said
I know you’ve murdered and I know you’ve lied
I have watched you suffer all of your life
And now that you’ll listen, I’ll tell you that I…
I will love you for you
Not for what you have done or what you will become
I will love you for you
I will give you the love
The love that you never knew
We had a wonderful service this weekend at Grace and I’m so glad that I didn’t miss it (I had overslept, showed up late).
We talked a great deal about what’s going on in Haiti. My mind is still processing through everything that’s going on over there, while wondering how the church and the rest of the world will respond.
Anyway, at the end of the service, we showed a music video by the musical group, The Elms. The song is called "This Is How The World Will End" and I had originally heard it months ago when Starbucks was handing out cards with a free download of the song (to promote building water wells in Africa). It wasn’t until I saw the music video today with the lyrics on the screen, that I truly got the point of the song. I think you know what I mean, when you spent months upon months singing a song because it sounds good, yet you never take time to really listen to the lyrics.
The footage in the music video below was taken by Luke Renner, who is an Indiana-native and was in Haiti when the earthquake hit. Since then, he’s been taking footage almost non-stop and updating his Twitter account with updates (the footage in the video is before the earthquake hit). I’d challenge you to watch the video twice. First, just listen to the song and take in the pictures. The second time, read the lyrics. It’s amazing.
This Is How the World Will End
The Elms
When the dollar made with blood is spent,
When an enemy can’t become a friend.
When the better man won’t lend a hand,
Baby, this is how the world will end.
When a day of hope is a rarity,
Or a diplomat hasn’t time to see
That a child lost is a true offense,
Baby, this is how the world will end.
Bring a chair up to the table.
Bring a message to the crowd.
Where’s a common trust to deliver us from the wretched and the proud?
Sing a tune about the promise.
Speak on that which we depend.
And if a certain light don’t shine again,
Baby, this is how the world will end.
When the poorest kid is fending for himself,
Or the widow cries, but she gets no help.
When we know what’s true, but we still pretend,
Baby, this is how the world will end.
Bring a chair up to the table.
Bring a message to the crowd.
Where’s a common trust to deliver us from the wretched and the proud?
Sing a tune about the promise.
Speak on that which we depend.
Now let that certain light come shinin’ then,
Baby, we could change the world again.
I got to know Jon’s music a few years back, if not longer (time seems to go by quick). I like Jon for two reasons: one, he’s from Indiana and two, he is heavy on the piano. While other artists in his genre rely on guitar, there’s just so much more you can do with a piano. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the guitar. But the piano can really dominate a piece of music with such range, depth, and power… perhaps musicians are the only ones that can truly appreciate that.
One of my goals for the next year is to get back into playing piano. While I’m not the best pianist, there is something greatly therapeutic about practicing a song so many times that it becomes a part of you. In a way, the notes just go straight from the brain right to the fingers and onto the keys. I’ve decided to make my comeback to piano by learning how to play Jon’s song, "Indiana." I chose it for two reasons (I seem to have a lot of reasons): one, it’s not too difficult to play and that’s the beauty of it. Second, the song kind of mirrors my feelings about my hometown.
I love Indiana. And while I’ve contemplated moving somewhere else (and probably will at some point in my life), Indiana will always be a deep part of who I am. While this song has the theme of a guy whose heart has been broken and uses his home in Indiana as a distraction, I still love it. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, life is going to take you many different places and when it’s all said and done, there will always be home. Okay, enough rambling on about what I think about the song.
Indiana
Jon McLaughlin
I’m glad I never lived next to the water
So I could never get used to the beach
And I’m glad I never grew up on a mountain
To figure out how high the world could reach
I love the miles between me and the city
Where I quietly imagine every street
And I’m glad I’m only picturing the moment
I’m glad she never fell in love with me
For some the world’s a treasure to discover
And your scenery should never stay the same
And they’re trading in their dreams for explanations
All in an attempt to entertain
But I love the miles between me and the city
Where I quietly imagine every street
And I’m glad I’m only picturing the moment
I’m glad she never fell in love with me
The trick of love is to never let it find you
It’s easy to get over missing out
I know the how’s and when’s, but now and then,
She’s all I think about
I wonder how it feels to be famous
But wonder is as far as I will go
Because I’d probably lose myself in all the pictures
And end up being someone I don’t know.
So it’s probably best I stay in Indiana
Just dreaming of the world as it should be
Where every day is a battle to convince myself
I’m glad she never fell in love with me
I love this song. I have loved it since the day Hannah introduced it to me years ago. It has this chilling, yet beautiful piano that plays throughout, along with Amy Lee’s beautiful vocals. It’s too bad that Evanescence hasn’t had better success after their Fallen album, but if you like this song, check out the album, I think you’ll like it.
My Immortal
Evanscence
I’m so tired of being here
suppressed by all my childish fears
but if you have to leave
i wish that you would just leave
’cause your presence still lingers here
and it won’t leave me alone
These wounds won’t seem to heal
this pain is just too real
there’s just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears
when you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
but you still have…all of me
You used to captivate me
by your resonating light
now I’m bound by the life you left behind
your face, it haunts
my once pleasant dreams
your voice, it’s chased away
all the sanity in me
These wounds won’t seem to heal
this pain is just too real
there’s just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears
when you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
i held your hand through all of these years
but you still have all of me
I’ve tried so hard to tell myself that you’re gone
but though you’re still with me
I’ve been alone all along
When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears
when you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
i held your hand through all of these years
but you still have…all of me
all of me
all of me
all… Send "My Immortal" Ringtone to your Cell
