Excuse me sir, what did you say?
You shout so loud it’s hard to tell
You say that I should change my ways
Or I am surely bound to Hell.
Well I know you’d damn me if you could
But my friend that’s simply not your call
If God is great and God is good
Why is your heaven so small?
~Susan Werner
I have been very introspective of late. This doesn’t happen very often and I am not often this quiet. Life is pretty good and the job hasn’t even been too bad. I am not sure what is causing my deep thought.
I happened to be listening to some music last night while I was online researching wind and solar power (I am excited to potentially start using less fossil fuel to heat my house). I started with the only Indigo Girls album that I cannot sing all the words to but then I remembered Susan. Susan Werner is a very versatile female folk artist. I have seen her in concert and actually met her and talked to her twice. I first heard her music one Sunday afternoon as I was driving from eastern Wisconsin back home to the western half of the state. She was being interviewed on NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered. She sang three songs on that show that all touched my heart and caused me to desire to find out more about her.
I started doing some digging. This was in the very early days of the internet and I did not have access because I lived out in the middle of nowhere. I found out that she was a classically trained musician in opera and that she decided at some point in her life to ditch her degree and pursue what she loved. She is a magnificent songwriter, an excellent pianist and guitarist and has the voice of an angel.
I have loved all of her music. Her early work was very “folky” and she has done a few covers that are wonderful (Vincent and Everybody’s Talkin’). She has done an album of torch songs and has some nice up-beat tunes. Her last album was a collection of tunes in a gospel fashion. The Gospel Truth is a collection that has been called “agnostic gospel”.
Like the quote at the top of this entry, she pokes fun at the people who are quick to preach about something and are so zealous that one cannot tell what they are zealous about. Listening to this album last night drew me further into myself.
Another of her lyrics goes “How do you love those, who never will love you, who are happy to throw you, out in front of the train.” I know that feeling. I know that there are a lot of people in the world that will not accept me for who I am. Granted, I don’t always take people at face value, but I sure try. To those of you who are reading this and think “well, I’d accept you if . . .” then that isn’t true acceptance. Sorry, putting a condition on it is like saying “I’d love you if . . . “. That just doesn’t fly here.
You shout so loud it’s hard to tell
You say that I should change my ways
Or I am surely bound to Hell.
Well I know you’d damn me if you could
But my friend that’s simply not your call
If God is great and God is good
Why is your heaven so small?
~Susan Werner
I have been very introspective of late. This doesn’t happen very often and I am not often this quiet. Life is pretty good and the job hasn’t even been too bad. I am not sure what is causing my deep thought.
I happened to be listening to some music last night while I was online researching wind and solar power (I am excited to potentially start using less fossil fuel to heat my house). I started with the only Indigo Girls album that I cannot sing all the words to but then I remembered Susan. Susan Werner is a very versatile female folk artist. I have seen her in concert and actually met her and talked to her twice. I first heard her music one Sunday afternoon as I was driving from eastern Wisconsin back home to the western half of the state. She was being interviewed on NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered. She sang three songs on that show that all touched my heart and caused me to desire to find out more about her.
I started doing some digging. This was in the very early days of the internet and I did not have access because I lived out in the middle of nowhere. I found out that she was a classically trained musician in opera and that she decided at some point in her life to ditch her degree and pursue what she loved. She is a magnificent songwriter, an excellent pianist and guitarist and has the voice of an angel.
I have loved all of her music. Her early work was very “folky” and she has done a few covers that are wonderful (Vincent and Everybody’s Talkin’). She has done an album of torch songs and has some nice up-beat tunes. Her last album was a collection of tunes in a gospel fashion. The Gospel Truth is a collection that has been called “agnostic gospel”.
Like the quote at the top of this entry, she pokes fun at the people who are quick to preach about something and are so zealous that one cannot tell what they are zealous about. Listening to this album last night drew me further into myself.
Another of her lyrics goes “How do you love those, who never will love you, who are happy to throw you, out in front of the train.” I know that feeling. I know that there are a lot of people in the world that will not accept me for who I am. Granted, I don’t always take people at face value, but I sure try. To those of you who are reading this and think “well, I’d accept you if . . .” then that isn’t true acceptance. Sorry, putting a condition on it is like saying “I’d love you if . . . “. That just doesn’t fly here.
3 comments:
this was towards me...wasn't it?
Um, this was not towards anyone in particular. It was just something that has been rolling around in my head for the last few days. If you feel it was directed towards you, I am sorry, it wasn't.
I can't accept you if you are anyone but yourself, Carol. Let's see, be deceitful to everyone or be honest. I'd choose honesty anytime. If anyone disagrees with that, oh well, their loss.
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