Spiritual songs that are part of your story...

[lovesoul]

Just as a start, and this is an old one, my parents used to play Keith Green in the car on the way to weekends away. At the age of 10 or so the lyrics washed over me. Thirty years later, having realised my spiritual state, the words in this song made sense to me!

Ugh, I'm shocked and in awe right now... just signed up for vc forums... come to see what's being discussed, see this thread in new thread, click it and was going to post a kg song and first thing I see is a kg song!!! Crazy!! I guess I'm in the right place lol It's hard to pick which one specifically of his because a lot of them speak of my spiritual journey but right now I would say... Create in me a clean heart All his songs provoke the holy spirit in me and almost always make me cry!

 

[Red Sky at Morning]

@lovesoul - great song!!!

 

[Alanantic]

"It’s all metaphors. Simply put, ‘A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace’ – that means your higher self will eventually bring you out of your dark world.” -- Jon Anderson of Yes, talking about "Close To The Edge" lyrics.

 

[Red Sky at Morning]

"It’s all metaphors. Simply put, ‘A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace’ – that means your higher self will eventually bring you out of your dark world.” -- Jon Anderson of Yes, talking about "Close To The Edge" lyrics.

Rick Wakeman from Yes eventually took a different path and looked outside his Higher Self for salvation...

 

[RaXz]

 

[JoChris]

I first heard Martin Luther's old bymn on Alpha and Omega Ministries.

Lyrics

It is a good reminder to Christians that the final battle is already won.

 

[JoChris]

I have several arrangements for guitar so I understand how complex the melody and rhythm are for this song!

 

[Alanantic]

Rick Wakeman from Yes eventually took a different path and looked outside his Higher Self for salvation...

He also tried to buy an Australian brewery just to get a beer, owns twenty-two cars, an American soccer team and a Swiss mail-order pornography company. Your point is...?

 

[Red Sky at Morning]

He also tried to buy an Australian brewery just to get a beer, owns twenty-two cars, an American soccer team and a Swiss mail-order pornography company. Your point is...?

Perhaps simply this - you are never so close to God that you can't make some awful mistakes and never so old or so far away that He won't accept you back...

I think Rick's story is great, and reminds me of my own life and failings in lost of ways.

 

[Alanantic]

Perhaps simply this - you are never so close to God that you can't make some awful mistakes and never so old or so far away that He won't accept you back...

I think Rick's story is great, and reminds me of my own life and failings in lost of ways.

I agree. I still have hope for Rick, and you, too!

 

[Red Sky at Morning]

A song that always makes me smile!

 

[Tangerina]

My entry is more an observation about somebody else's spirituality, based on empathy for her, as well as possible applicability to me and to my experience.

When Tori Amos's first album was released, it was done so in England, where I was then living in London, and her promoters thought it best to present her first to that market, as a sort of American answer to England's Kate Bush.

I was impressed. From her biographical sketch, I learned that she is the daughter of a Methodist minister, and I could tell, by her piano playing and musicianship, that she can read sheet music. What is more, one of my favorite childhood friends, here in the States, was the son of a Methodist minister, who had five intriguing sisters, and they all played piano in a large, Victorian-style parsonage. During long, summer afternoons, when he and I were playing football outside, I could hear them practicing lessons from a distance, so I heard echos of this in Tori's album.

Hollywood loved her, naturally, because she sold records, and, in live performances, she would straddle her piano bench like Mary Magdelene, prior to redemption, and sing forthright, insightful songs, at times critical of Christianity. In this one, for instance, and as she explains in her opening, she frankly and unapologetically interweaves Christian hymns with erotic, youthful memories, exploring her own body, and relates it to others in her house more pious, taking Communion, Jesus' body. One line, in particular, has stayed with me through the years. In it, she says: "but I think the good book [Bible] is missing some pages."

​

Fast forward some decades. She became too abstract for my taste, so lost me as a fan. And then one night she played live, in New York. She did Radiohead's "Creep," passionately, in fact painfully. To me, the signs of being put through the Hollywood winepress are there: she is practically unrecognizable because of plastic surgery. If I had been her husband, or even caring brother, I would have assured her that she is beautiful at every age. "I want a perfect body," she plaintively sings, "I want a perfect soul." Though her audience, for the most part, seems oblivious to it, or is perhaps even encouraging the despair, I think I sense not only a resignation, of sorts, and profound sadness on her part, which is, granted, the song's theme, but also a spiritual jadedness. I have sometimes wondered if Tori, being a talented if waning representative of American popular culture and artistry, ever found what she considered to be the missing pages of the Bible. If not, I hope, for her sake, that sometime she does find them.

Serveto, I grew up on Tori Amos and am passionate about her [early] music (I really miss the 90s Tori...her later stuff is unrecognizable to me). I was initially drawn in by her virtuosity on the piano, as I am classically-trained, and later fell in love with her songwriting and that raw energy which defines her. Your post is the first I've ever seen on here about her, and since learning about mind control and how tainted the music industry is, I've wondered about so many of her songs. Depending on how you interpret them, it seems like she's definitely "in the know," and I wonder if some of that sadness you mentioned is her realization that even her creativity and artistry will always be in accordance to the puppet masters. It makes me really sad because so much of her influence is in every song I write and play. I have wanted to discuss her writing and musicality with others who "know" but she's never mentioned. Thank you for your post. Have you heard her song, "Horses?"

 

[Serveto]

Serveto, I grew up on Tori Amos and am passionate about her [early] music (I really miss the 90s Tori...her later stuff is unrecognizable to me). I was initially drawn in by her virtuosity on the piano, as I am classically-trained, and later fell in love with her songwriting and that raw energy which defines her. Your post is the first I've ever seen on here about her, and since learning about mind control and how tainted the music industry is, I've wondered about so many of her songs. Depending on how you interpret them, it seems like she's definitely "in the know," and I wonder if some of that sadness you mentioned is her realization that even her creativity and artistry will always be in accordance to the puppet masters. It makes me really sad because so much of her influence is in every song I write and play. I have wanted to discuss her writing and musicality with others who "know" but she's never mentioned. Thank you for your post. Have you heard her song, "Horses?"

Welcome to the forum, generally, and thank you for addressing me personally. I am glad that my post not only struck a chord, but was also apparently in tune. I am not at all surprised to hear that Tori Amos had an influence upon you, a classically-trained pianist, as you were developing. She can not only read but also play sheet music, including, notably, her own compositions. When I heard her, that was my first thought.

In answer to your question, yes. I stayed with her from her remarkable entry, Little Earthquakes, through three albums which followed, including Boys for Pele, which contains the track in question. With each progressive step she took, I thought she was increasingly writing and composing in abstractions, a sort of hieroglyphic, and, though I didn't search too thoroughly, I couldn't find the Rosetta Stone, the keys with which to unlock her meaning, so I remained behind, on the ground, from that point, only occasionally listening in on her new releases, which were plentiful.

"Horses," to me, thematically, was somewhat reminiscent of Earthquake's "Me and a Gun." That latter song, sung Acapella, despite the gravity of the subject, namely what we now commonly call "date r*pe," was not among my favorites of the album, quite honestly. Still, she later reported that it was self-revelatory and autobiographical: in other words, that it actually happened, to her. Quite apart from the crime she describes, which I in no way discount, by any means, the song contains an interesting lyric, namely:

And I know what this means
Me and Jesus a few years back
Used to hang and he said
"It's your choice babe just remember
I don't think you'll be back in 3 days time
So you choose well"
(Tori Amos) ​

Here I think, and only interpret, of course, that Tori is clearly acknowledging what is often called a "personal relationship" with Jesus, even if it were in the past, and is, moreover, drawing upon the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes Biblical doctrine, to the effect that, though Jesus, following his crucifixion and descent into Hell as victor, arose on the third day, Tori herself is not expected to do the same. In other words, if she goes to Hell, and that by her choice, there she is likely to stay, and she is writing of just one hellish incident.

That concept, or fear, may yet still be with her, and may have become heightened by time and her subsequent experiences in the industry. What significance, may I ask, do you see in "Horses?"
__________________
edit to add:
To those unfamiliar with American slang, in the printed lyrics above, the word "hang" means to "hang out," to spend time together, to be in company, etc.

 

[Red Sky at Morning]

@Serveto

"Tori is clearly acknowledging what is often called a "personal relationship" with Jesus, even if it were in the past"

Several years ago, having been raised in a Christian home I decided to do it "my way". Even when I had done and the months had passed by, I used to say "goodnight Lord" before going to sleep! The thing is, God has a way of tracking you down when you are on the run - for me it happened some months later having put my name down for a Christian conference at a fairly run down seaside resort. Having paid for it, I thought I might as well go and when I did it was the joy (that I had completely lost) that I saw in the faces of the Christians there, along with the lyrics of a song that was playing at the time "If I hadn't seen such riches I could live with being poor" that stopped this prodigal in his outbound journey.

 

[Red Sky at Morning]

The title track off the first Christian album I owned! "If you can't shout saved.."*

*The musical style may give away my age ;-)

 

[Bacsi]

Throat singing.

Mistake in the vidéo title. It's not Mongolian, but a Turkic language. Otherwise all correct.

Great stuff. We beleive that these sounds have outerworldy healing power and connect you directly to God. Not like the contemporary beats of pop/rock music, that generally sucks your energy and pushes you for errors and evil state of mind.

 

[Bacsi]

More great stuff from same people group (Tyva)

Throat singing.

 

[TokiEl]

First time i heard Leonard Cohen mumble Hallelujah it struck a chord in me as well.

Cat Stevens spurred me on to break up leave and step into the great unknown like India to search for God.

Paul Wilbur is pure worship of our great God.

I noticed a utube comment or testimony on that Wilbur clip... so i just post it here. Nothing out of the ordinary but awsome nonetheless...


"My Childhood was not one of the ordinary. I didn't experience the love, joy and innocence of childhood. From the age of 4, I was being sexually abused by my cousins. I didn't know it at the time. They used to call it "Playing the Game". Life went downhill from that point. I was now being raped by some other cousins; it was four of them in total. I was bullied at school, called all kinds of different names. It was at the age of 12 yrs I only then comprehended what had happened to me in my life. I was going to tell my parents but I was threatened by them and even choked one night. I became a living corpse from then on. I was a living dead. I was cold. I was just an entity in a body. Nights on end I cried myself to sleep from my demise. I felt dirty. Constantly bathing, trying to cleanse off their touch from my body. I felt like someone poured acid on me; it was eating me away daily, bit by bit, piece by piece. I was full of hurt, pain, anger and rage. Years past, and the pains grew stronger and stronger. Nothing quelled the raging inferno burning inside me. Day by day, I was becoming less human. I tried everything and nothing worked such as different religious prayers etc. Suicide was the only way out, the only solution to ease my pain. It would all soon go away I thought. One night I put a tape around my neck, and I was going to strangle myself, but something pulled me back. My teacher had told me about Jesus. I had nothing to lose, I had already lost the will to live, was too tired fighting to survive and too weak from daily battling. So I closed my eyes and prayed to Jesus. When I closed my eyes......I saw Jesus himself and He was holding a door. He grasped it tightly and was looking towards the sky praying. I said "Jesus, I need u in my life, I cannot carry these burdens again for they are too heavy, come into my life and take them and wash me from my sins." Then I saw him kneel down in front of me and said "If you had called me earlier, I would have come." I looked into His eyes and I cannot describe what I saw. It was so full of compassion, love, peace, joy and reassurance and most of all care. He touched me, and everything just vanished. All the pain, anger, hurt, broken heartedness, everything just vanished immediately, like it never happened! What I was searching for all these years, Jesus came and did it in seconds. He taught me how to love myself first when I hated what I saw in the mirror, how to forgive my transgressors when I only had hate for them and how to love His people, just as He loves me. This is my testimony, my testimony of truth of the great works that Jesus did in my life. He can do the same for you. Invite him in and accept Him as your savior if you haven't yet. He is all too willing to come and carry ALL your burdens as He always care for ALL HIS PEOPLE. Accept God's gift of redemption today before it is too late. I have a reason to live now................His name is JESUS."

"Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Joel 2:32 and Romans 10:13​

 

[Red Sky at Morning]

As a child, I listened to this song and it helped me understand the Gospel for the first time. As powerful now as it was then.

 

[Colonel Valerio]