2.2.13

Song for Sonship: If Not For Your Love

Coming off the last post, here is a song I wrote to try and express the same sentiments.  Again recorded on my phone, please forgive/enjoy the simplicity of the recording.  In light of what I wrote before, I hope that it bears no further background, though hopefully it fills out the ideas a bit.

The bridge is taken from Gerard Manley Hopkin's poem, That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the comfort of the Resurrection, which you can read here.


Seize a few better things, then buttress them high with stones
and bury deep all else beneath
Where perhaps I maybe could believe
That these are not part of me

If my virtues will make you love me
Then I have no vested interest in honesty
So I lie, and tell myself that it’s true
For I fear the same of you
That you’d flee if you knew

If not for your love, 
then I would never bear the truth about myself

And I can’t even admit to myself
That this is what I do
For none could love the blackguard that’s making bold his plea
That how I am is really what you see
Just don’t dig too deep

And this means the death of pride
And means all my worth is lavished on me from outside
Staring into this dark space
Falling out of this chase
To rest an object of grace

And it’s left but ash
But in a flash, at a trumpet crash
I am all at once what Christ for he was what I am
And this jack, this joke, 
this poor potsherd, patch, matchwood, immortal diamond
Is immortal diamond

If not for your love, 
then I would never bear the truth about myself

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for this song and for your last post. We need it here in the mundane life of sick kids, housework, and flooding basements just like you all do. We forget that so easily--almost like we'll use our own strength (thank you very much) for anything commonplace, and save calling on His grace for only the most exotic or spiritual needs. As if His grace could be used up.

    Praying for you all this week, in whatever mundane or fantastic trials you face, that you would fully rely on Him.

    --Hank & Hannah Willis

    ReplyDelete