Hammers, Bells, and Songs

A period of nostalgia has taken hold of me as last week's memory recap will continue with the words written today.  

The "Oldies but Goodies" lesson referred to gratitude with personal memory tidbits as its base. Today the goal is different, but the intro uses a similar format.

Sure, I got sucked into this fog of remembrance through the songs of youth. And I know many people insist that musically speaking, we should keep up with the times. Phrases like, "You listen to that ____?" (You may include your favorite expletive. You may also include whatever musical genre is believed to be well past its prime.) Pressed to answer, I will say that yes, I still love that (genre), and yes, I still listen. Does that mean I am not a "Tay Tay" fan? The answer is blowing in the wind, my friend.

Writing an article for the "MyLife in a Book" project, I was jolted with a ‘Peter, Paul, and Mary’ old-time favorite, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone." That prompted a continuation of sentimentality for more of the same. "Blowing in the Wind", "500 Miles", "Lemon Tree", and "If I Had a Hammer" soon flooded my internal concert hall. Hey, at least the tickets are cheap!

When this 'ancient' folk music finally receded, I was left with some peaceful reminiscing. 

I was also troubled. "When will they ever learn," is a phrase that bounced around the space between ears. After decades, the music from my past still asked, "Have YOU learned? 

I spent more time with these arrangements than expected. I was looking for a reprieve, for a positive answer to that question. In the end, I had to admit to the negative. I look around and I don't think we (me) have learned much at all.

• "How many years can some people exist before they’re allowed to be free?"
• "How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see?"
• "How many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry?"
• "How many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died?"

Maybe, like me, you think we are still pretending. Perhaps you agree that there are actions we can take.

"Well, I got a hammer, 

And I got a bell, 

And I got a song to sing all over this land."  

 

“It’s the hammer of justice, 

It’s the bell of freedom, 

It’s the song about love between my brothers and my sisters, all over this land”

Yeah, Boomer, I am. It’s also true, I have heard that my generation is now irrelevant. But I'm not buying it. We ‘antiques’ still have something to offer the world. 

Perhaps it is some lost jewel from the past, some view, some interpretation from a life lived well, some tidbit of a lost way, or elder guidance. Perhaps you're tempted to disregard anything more than 20 years old. But here's the thing. In the privacy of your own home, with headphones so nobody hears, open YouTube and take a little stroll through historical significance. 

The songs are still there. The secular lyrics are still trying to teach us. You'll probably not experience the peacefulness of youth that I felt. But I sincerely hope you might catch the troubled heart as the melody preaches words reminding us that we are not there yet.

Where exactly is there? 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:42-48 (The opening chapter to the Sermon on the Mount.)