A Quarry To Blast

Come one and all
There's a place for you here
Where the dusty, cracked cups
Turn to fountains and burst
Where the cracks in your soul
Beam with light once they're filled
Because no one's alive
'Till they're freed from death first

Life's a quarry to blast
Living and dying to be born at last

Calling all hearts:
If a bell's born to ring
Then a person is born
For the very same thing
So head for the streets
There are stories to tell
There are leaks to keep leaking
From life-giving wells

Life's a quarry to blast
Living and dying to be born at last

The Exposition of Beauty Through Tragedy

The leaning of ledges on true fate just fell
True tragedies surface, but take time to tell
And IF there is anything thriving in strife
If MUST be true life

Since dust clouds get thin like a wrinkle gets deep
I squint with impatience and scan the great heap
And not to conclude here, it's too thick to tell
But it LOOKS like hell

I ran through the cloud with my hopes draining dry
Through dust I saw devils and dreaded I'd die
Trees tilted, woods wilted; destruction had won
I wanted to run

Through tears I kept looking and calling in vain
A few friends showed up, so I had to explain
That all of the beauty we built to belong...
We built it all wrong

We circled and prayed with our eyes open wide
At last, we prayed true. We had nothing to hide.
The beauty we hid with the acts that we posed
At last were exposed

**Aaron Weiss**

I love the way Aaron from mewithoutYou writes his songs. I cannot guarantee that I agree with everything he says, but I can guarantee that I believe that he believes what he says. The words that go into mewithoutYou's songs are so sincere, so honest. Here are the lyrics to a song that I think particularly highlights Aaron's ability to make things sound fresh and real.

A Stick, A Carrot, and A String

the horse's hay beneath his head
our Lord was born to a manger bed
that all whose wells run dry
could drink of his supply

to keep him warm, the sheep drew near
so grateful for His coming here
come with news of grace
come to take my place
the donkey whispered in his ear
"child, in 30-some-odd years
you'll ride someone who looks like me
untriumphantly"

the cardinals warbled a joyful song
he'll make right what man made wrong
bringing low the hills
that the valleys might be filled

then "child", asked the birds
"well, aren't they lovely words we sing?"
the tiny baby layed there
without saying anything

at a distance stood a mangy goat
with the crooked teeth and a matted coat
weary eyes and worn
chipped and twisted horns

thinking "maybe I'll make friends someday
with the cows and the hens in the rambouillet
but for now, I'll keep away
I've got nothing smart to say"

there's a sign on the barn
in the cabbage town
"when the rain picks up
and the sun goes down
sinners, come inside
with no money, come and buy

no clever talk, nor a gift to bring
requires our lowly, lovely king
come now empty handed, you don't need anything"

and the night was cool
and clear as glass
with the sneaking snake in the garden grass
deep cried out to deep
the disciples fast asleep

and the snake perked up
when he heard You ask
"if you're willing that
this cup might pass
we could find our way back home
maybe start a family all our own"

"but does not the Father guide the Son?
not my will, but yours be done.
what else here to do?
what else me, but You?"

and the snake who'd held the world
a stick, a carrot and a string
was crushed beneath the foot
of your not wanting anything

The Lyrics of Jon Foreman

So sorry that I missed last week's Saturday feature. If you'll remember, Saturday was a pretty busy day for the band and me. :)

This Saturday, I wanted to feature songwriter Jon Foreman. Over the past couple of years he released four ep's, one named after each season. I was very impressed with the sound and lyrical content of these four ep's. I was already a fan of his band Switchfoot, but when I heard his incredibly original solo material he became one of my faves. So here is one of the songs from his Fall ep.

Equally Skilled

How miserable I am

I feel like a fruit-picker who arrived here

After the harvest

There's nothing here at all

Nothing at all here that could placate my hunger

The godly people are all gone

There's not one honest soul left alive

Here on the planet

We're all murderers and thieves

Setting traps here for even our brothers

And both of our hands are equally skilled

At doing evil, equally skilled

At bribing the judges, equally skilled

At perverting justice

Both of our hands

Both of our hands

The day of justice comes

And is even now swiftly arriving

Don't trust anyone at all

Not your best friend or even your wife

For the son hates the father

The daughter despises even her mother

Look, your enemies arrive

Right in the room of your very household

And both of their hands are equally skilled

At doing evil, equally skilled

At bribing the judges, equally skilled

At perverting justice

Both of their hands

Both of their hands

No, don't gloat over me

Though I fall, though I fall

I will rise again

Though I sit here in darkness

The Lord, the Lord alone

He will be my light

I will be patient as the Lord

Punishes me for the wrongs I've done

Against Him

After that, He'll take my case

Bringing me to light and the justice

For all I have suffered

And both of His hands

Are equally skilled

At ruining evil, equally skilled

At judging the judges, equally skilled

Administering justice

Both of His hands

Both of His hands

Are equally skilled

At showing me mercy, equally skilled

At loving the loveless, equally skilled

Administering justice

Both of His hands

Both of His hands

Sun and Rain (We BLOOM)

{brand new acoustic song. the pages I wrote the song on still smell like Starbucks.}

Soft curls bounce like laughter

Bright eyes beam like life can't part

-the start

Heart beats drum the cadence

Marching life between the womb

and tomb

We BLOOM

As long as You are here

I'll march along

I will not fear

You're the sun and You're the rain

Ground is gained o'er hurdles

Things are found when things are lost

-the cost

Conflict writes the story

Housing comedy with room

for gloom

We BLOOM

And maybe I will stick around for 80 more years

Or this could be the day

You're taking me away

No need for tears

As long as You are here...

Packaged and Sold

The toll of the toil is this

To give it that lyrical kiss

You're frozen in time

And without a dime

But then when it is, it just is.

Life's not to become, it's to be

I've learned this the hard way, you see

As stories unfold

They're packaged and sold

So you should check out my EP. :)

...on amazon. Check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JMTN8Q/ref=dm_ty_alb_img?ie=UTF8&qid=1272717103&sr=8-1

The Healing

Its time to wrap the burns,

To get up off your knees,

And then demand the terms

Of freedom, of release

So start the car and drive

And clear the wheezing cough

To make it out alive,

Break all the mirrors off

Since hurt won't hold you now

I know some hands that will

The cost: a sober vow

the payment: ceaseless fill

The Poet and The Painter

Dear Poet,

Write Your words
Upon my heart
Like canvass
Noun and verb
This sacred art
My hands, I think
Could be Your ink

Dear Painter,
Paint my mind
One solid hue
Like poems
Each brush stroke
A hint of You
My pride must hush
To be Your brush

And Your poetry
Is Your grace in me...
My death, Your potpourri

Saturday Poet Feature

My featured poet for today is Archibald Macleish.

This man just flat out knows how to put words together. I've been reading a bunch of his stuff lately and each poem seems to have its own subtle word trend that is just aimed at sounding awesome. Here's one of his more famous poems, but honestly, if you look this guy up you will find a lot more good stuff like this.

Ars Poetica
by Archibald MacLeish
A poem should be palpable and mute As a globed fruit, Dumb As old medallions to the thumb, Silent as the sleeve-worn stone Of casement ledges where the moss has grown— A poem should be wordless As the flight of birds. * A poem should be motionless in time As the moon climbs, Leaving, as the moon releases Twig by twig the night-entangled trees, Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves, Memory by memory the mind— A poem should be motionless in time As the moon climbs. * A poem should be equal to: Not true. For all the history of grief An empty doorway and a maple leaf. For love The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea— A poem should not mean But be.

Skin and Bones - an acoustic song

This drink, the glass is full to me
The state to be
To think that brokenness is less
I’m fine, I guess

As world reflections make a pair, the
Son of man is his own era
Everything is bound by what it owns

I’ll kick my shoes off and with
Purpose dive and paddle in
To breathe Your will like oxygen
I hear the world, it has no song to sing
So from it, I don’t need a thing

I fight the fear to turn and
Run away from all I know
And never turn a cheek
My will so weak
The way I went abandonment
Would be a simple task
The echo masked

As world reflections make a pair, the
Son of man is his own era
Everything is bound by what it owns

I’ll kick my shoes off and with
Purpose dive and paddle in
To breathe Your will like oxygen
I hear the world, it has no song to sing

So from it, I don’t need a…

Thing to decorate this skin and bones
I’m quenched, communion fills alone
I’ll stick to the breath I received when I came into the world

As world reflections make a pair, the
Son of man is his own era
Everything is bound by what it owns
So I’ll just live with skin and bones

Saturday Feature

So from now on, I’m going to use Saturdays to feature a poet or songwriter whom I admire for his or her use of language and meaning. Today’s feature is John Mark Mcmillan.

He is a singer/songwriter from North Carolina. You’ve probably heard a rendition or two of one of his more popular songs, “How He Loves” but this guy is a wealth of poetic worship. I love his stuff. Here are the lyrics to his song “Skeleton Bones.”

Peel back our ribs again
and stand inside of our chest.
We just wanna' love you
We just wanna' love you

Peel back the veil of time
And let us see You with our naked eyes
We just wanna' love you
We just wanna' love you

We want your blood to flow inside our body
We want your wind inside our lungs
We just wanna' love you
We just wanna' love you

Skeleton bones stand at the sound of eternity
On the lips of the found
And gravestones roll
To the rhythm of the sound of you
Skeleton bones stand at the sound of eternity
On the lips of the found
So separate those doors
And let the son of resurrection in.

Oh let us adore the
Son of Glory drenched in love
Open up your gates before him
Crown Him, stand Him up

{hear the song here}

The Final Breath

{here's one from the archives. I wrote this poem a little over a year ago. It touches on the end as a new beginning, the true beginning and is hopefully just a graceful view of how our departure from earth will feel less like a departure, more like an arrival. The rhyming scheme laces together the 1st and 3rd line of each stanza with the 2nd line of the following stanza. um yeah, that took me a while. (:}

This is the end of me
my final breath
new life to be

The new life stills my lungs
it's ecstasy
it's old to younge

I'm hearing voices of
unspoken tounges
that speak in love

The dancing will begin
we'll dance above
forgiven sin

This is the start for me
with servant grin
new life to be

I Dreamed a Future War - a poem

{just to clarify, this is not an anti-war poem, it's an anti-hate poem. i think there is a bit of difference between the two. Not all wars are hateful and not all hate results in war. however, if a war is grounded in hate and anger instead of defending something good, I see weakness in that. That's what this poem is about.}

I dreamed a future war

And neither side was right

So what's the reason for?

Each party rests in pride

And wakes in fev'rish sweats

As peace gets pushed aside

So these two sides of hate

The scream to be heard first

And they're not going to wait

The rage begins to burn

The guns aim past the lines

While guns aim back in turn

The truth gets spun around

Its dizzy when it trips

Its trampled on the ground

With war, some claim to win

I'd say they just lost less

The victor's pain

Still leaves a stain

And leads to emptiness

Cloudburst

{here's a new band song we're working on. this one has already become our new favorite. it's based off of a poem i've already posted called "To the Dry." come listen to it at our next show.}

Clear skies, my pale skin plays the pawn
Cracked lips, my sunburned sense is gone
My sense is gone

Desert wand'rings steal my spirit like a thief
Will we ever find relief?

We're praying for the clouds to burst again
We're praying for the clouds to burst again

Gray cloud, the dark drowns dry and then
Sweet dreams of moisture on my skin
The hope within

To driest drain, Shekinah rain
RAIN DOWN
My cracks of drought, Your river's route
RAIN DOWN
My living hells, Your drinking wells
RAIN DOWN
My dusty throat is struggling just to say...

We're praying for the clouds to burst again
We're praying for the clouds to burst again
It's pouring, now we're fin'lly clean within
It's pouring, now we're fin'lly clean within

Cobbler of the Cracked Sole pt. 2

This final part of the song is just straight poetry. It is recited without melody as the guitar plays:

I was the type

To be blown by the hype

Like the smoke from a pipe

Just to linger and fade

Then You filled the room

Like a woman's perfume

Caused the flowers to bloom

On this heart that You made

The Cobbler of the cracked sole

Cobbler of the Cracked Sole - an acoustic song

I was enslaved
And depraved
Killed and graved my first season

Here’s my depiction
Of eviction
And the friction of self-treason

I scraped and clawed
And fought the fight, enforced the law
Only to get arrested
The chains dispensed in
Legalistic lies and phony facts had fenced in
My freedom

But I still stand
For I stand with You
Cobbler of the cracked sole

I sat for hours
As the powers
Grew their flowers out my ear holes
Geranium lies
Filled my eyes,
I despised thieving pride's tolls

The more I paid
The more the mess was mis-confessed
The actor’s mask adds pressure
The twisted ties of
Traps and trust and lust and all that that implies is
So stunning

But I still stand
For I stand with you
Cobbler of the cracked sole

(there is a spoken word portion at the end of this song. I'll post it separately since that portion is a poem all its own.)

To the Dry - a poem

To the dry
To the thirsty
To the cracked lips
Let your breath be moist
Let your skin be brightened
Let your bloodshot eyes find rest
A cup of mercy has been poured out over you
The pits of your life are now living wells
The sharp stones are now fountains
The cracks are now deep streams
Be clean and be refreshed
Be satisfied forever
Be finally alive

"The New Justice" -an Easter poem

There’s fire in my heart tonight
My veins are glowing bright
This passion is the good disease
I’m strengthened on my knees
All justice has been redefined
It is no longer blind
The justice pays for all the wrong
And puts the right to song
I’ve no redeeming gift to bring
The cross was mine, but held a King
The debt that my own filth enticed
Was paid by Jesus Christ
Amen.

lyrics to the new ep- Track 4 (The Sound of Your Song)

Your wings are
Like blankets
On winter nights
On winter nights
Your grace gives
Songs to sing
My "widows mite"
My "widows mite"

Night skies of candles are lit in Your name
Each filled with songs of Your love in the flame

Yet the sound of Your song could shake the UNIVERSE
The sound of Your song

Your water
Has found me
In desert times
In desert times
Your crimson
Hands washed me
Of all my crimes
Of all my crimes

Halle, Hallelujah
This is, this is why I was made

And the sound of Your song WILL shake.

lyrics to the new ep- Track 3 (Hatch)

Standing steeple strong and straight legged
Empires have the earth pegged
Self-regard cuts loose
Mirrors hold life like a reaper
Blandly chilled and cheaper
Find the care to muse,

“This is who we are,
Who are we?”

Now the lights glow
Great crescendo
Souls are hatching
From the hardest questions
Ask, receive, and
Open both hands
This is one land
Where we will not need a thing

Darkness drops and drags, defeated
Ignorance retreated
From the simplest muse

We ask, “Why are we?”

Reflections mock me
Empires turn into graveyards
Developments turn into embarrassments
Open spaces turn to cobwebs
I heard that forever happened yesterday
then…
You caught my eye.

lyrics to the new ep- Track 2 (Drop Your Nets)

I've been the victim of passive educations
Too many lectures that read not actions, but captions
I've learned the apathy of the generations
Deep rooted spectators, we just don't know our jobs, so

Let's lay all our nets and scream,
"We were made to see things unseen."

I feel the weight on my heals right through my sandals

Chains cast the shadow for shade. The truth is I’m useless
I’m having trouble enough trying to handle
This call to arms when my arms are so thin. Then again…

Our grace in this dance holds poise
Grace is not of ourselves, rejoice
in our song as we
Lay down all our nets and scream,
“We were made to see things unseen.”

Lay me down, I will stay right where you want me to
Pick me up, and I will go. Oh Lord, you know I’ll go
Break me to the ground so I’ll be face to face with all the one’s that I’ve
Stepped on, passed by
Missed their mute cries
Come on people, we have eyes to dry

This is the call for disciples nets to fall down
This is the broken up soil, its time to seed it
This is the call for disciples nets to fall down
This is a vein full of love, its time to bleed it

lyrics to the new ep- Track 1 (Barefoot)

I am dreaming inside out
out my throat and aimed at seekers
I have crazy things to shout
shouting whispers from the Keeper

Because the burning bush is still burning bright
Because the darling of the universe speaks light (to the ones who are willing to take off their shoes!)

Life is found on barefoot feet
feet with soles of dirt and soil
Life is not the earth's elite
leading kings is not so royal

Because the burning bush has just one request
Because the pride of men can't withstand the test (of the ones who are willing to take off their shoes!)

So I'll take a stand
Against myself
Beneath myself
To find myself
I'll take the hand
That lives to save
That loves to save
That died to save

now, i'm barefoot.