posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Finding Wisdom In a Song
I have always enjoyed simple truths– things like cowboy wisdom, Mark Twain quotes, Confucius quotes and finding wisdom in song lyrics.
Finding wisdom and inspiration in song lyrics can be a powerful thing. Some people have claimed that song lyrics have saved their life during a time of crisis. Others have tried to say that lyrics caused them to commit ultimate crimes against humanity. There are songs that have enhanced major cultural changes in the world– that’s a lot of power. When words are combined with pleasing music, the sounds can touch us emotionally. Those emotions greatly enhance our memory, learning and ultimately our behavior.
The focus here is in the word “wisdom.” Wisdom implies insightful learning of positive things like knowledge and good judgment gained through the experience. Everyone has individual tastes, so what inspires me may nauseate you. With that said, I will share some examples of lyrics that have inspired me along the way.
- “You can’t always get what you want.” The Rolling Stones (my parents used this thousands of times before the Stones ever did)
- “So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key.” The Eagles
- “There’s still time to change the road you’re on.” Led Zeppelin
- “There's battle lines being drawn, Nobody's right if everybody's wrong.” Buffalo Springfield
- “It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right, I hope you’ve had the time of your life.” Green Day
In the end, we also need to be reminded that we cannot be inspired by lyrics that have a negative influence. My example is the lyrics of a great Manfred Mann song. Those lyrics, written by Springsteen, say, “Momma always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun. But Momma, that’s where the fun is.” That rationalization for fun can lead to trouble. Unfortunately, I’m speaking from experience.
Choose your lyrics wisely.
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!
Psalm 57:7
Your Challenge –
As we all enjoy our own type of music, let’s try to remember to be inspired by the songs that contain wisdom and move us to do what’s right.