Message Behind the Music

So, here are a few thoughts on a song that i've been enjoying for the last couple of months.



M. Ward's "Poison Cup"

I love the passion behind the lyrics of this song and the powerful raspiness of the vocals. The first time I heard this song, I actually cried, which I guess isn't say a ton because i'm a pretty emotional person, but in all honesty it cut deep. While M. Ward and I probably don't share the same worldview, I think this piece is beautiful, similar to how I love almost anything put out by Ray LaMontagne, whose voice is also simply amazing-live, recorded, on the radio...His songs of love lost, love wanted, love longed for... I thorougly enjoy them, as do many other fans. I think part of why we enjoy them so much is because they speak to something deep, something that's in our human makeup. It's there, and denying it would be silly beyond words...

It's part of how we were created: for relationship. The stories that M. Ward and Ray LaMontagne craft into music deal with no small thing, they hit us at the core of our humanity. Forget the fact that both of these guys are amazingly talented, their lyrics also speak to part of what it means to be human: longing for relationship and finding a sense of peace and rest in the midst of such. I've mentioned previously that I started reading a book recommended by my pastor called Theology of the Body for Beginners. It's really quite good and it has informed my thoughts substantially on this subject. I'll deal with the book in a minute, but for now take the time to soak up an illustration of what i'm getting at...

Here are a few lyrics from LaMontagne's "Let it Be Me":

Now I remember all too well
Just how it feels to be alone
You feel like
you'd give anything
For just a little place you can call your own

That's when you need someone
Someone that you can call
And when
all your faith is gone
Feels like you can't go on
Let it be me
Let
it be me
If it's a friend you need
Let it be me
Let it be me

Did you catch it? Reread lines 3-5 above; there's an inherent longing for relationship in these words. It's powerful. It speaks to a great need within our hearts. The reality is, though, no Ray LaMontagne or M. Ward is ever going to be enough-our longing for such relationships points us towards an even greater need. Christopher West speaks well to this need in Theology of the Body For Beginners, drawing upon the musings of John Paul II:

It was in his body that Adam realized he was "alone" in the world and that it was not good to be so. We're meant for love, for communion with an "other." This is what the body teaches us: we're destined for love. As John Paul II states so eloquently: "Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This...is why Christ the Redeemer 'fully reveals man to himself'" (RH, n. 10)-because his body "given up for us" reveals the truth about incarnate love. (West, 121)

So, anyway, those are some thoughts about the message behind the music. As West says in his book, "our longing for communion is the "fundamental fact" of human existence." I enjoy this song and hope you do too!