Woodwinds or brass?
When you hear someone ask, “Woodwinds or brass?”, what you’re hearing is a conversation starter. It, and thousands of little scripts like it, exist for people (like me) who have difficulty chatting in social settings. For people like us, reaching into our thoughts for interesting small talk produces … exactly nothing. We’ve gone to the well and found it empty. So, in an attempt to not appear socially inept, we collect conversation starters, hoping the other person will be so interested they will then carry the conversational load.
That empty well is not just a haunt for the socially challenged. Poets, songwriters, public speakers—lots of us, from time to time—go to that well and come away empty handed. We’ll come back to this. But, for the moment, let’s address the question at hand. My answer? Brass.
Now, don’t get in a huff, woodwinds. I like a good clarinet, too. (Benny Goodman, anyone?) And, ask around, I’m a big fan of great piano music. But brass: oh my. That’s why I fell in love with Chicago. Sure, that rock/jazz fusion band had woodwinds, drums, etc., and some of the best guitar anywhere, any time. But the sound was all brass! The first time I heard them, I was blown out of the water. They were playing “25 or 6 to 4.” (hear it — link, below).
Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Flashing lights against the sky
Giving up I close my eyes
Sitting cross-legged on the floor
25 or 6 to 4
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this song is that it is a product of that empty well. Robert Lamm, keyboard player, singer and founding member of Chicago, wrote “25 or 6 to 4” while looking down on Los Angeles from the Hollywood Hills early one morning. He was struggling. No matter what he tried, his well of thoughts gave him nothing useful. Eventually, he decided to write a song about the process of writing the song he was writing. (Did you follow that? No? Well … it was the '60s.)
The title and lyrics reflect the time of day—3:35 or 3:34 a.m. He had been sitting up all night, trying to come up with something … anything. Because more traditional lyrics just wouldn’t come, he began writing down what he was experiencing.
Somehow, I think David, the author of this week’s Psalm 29 passage, would understand. He has written a song encouraging the people to honor their powerful God. But, David is not satisfied with simple encouragement. He needs the song to say more. Did David go to that well and come up empty handed? Possibly. Writing songs can be hard. What I do know is that, like Robert Lamm, David turns to descriptions to complete his lyrics. There are floods, storms, thunder and lightning, earthquakes and mighty winds to include.
The lesson for us is to look beyond what our senses report to us. David could have just listed those mighty events or not included them at all. There’s a difference with the Psalmist, though. His “well” is never truly empty when he focuses on the Lord. What he sees and hears is the presence of God all about him. David saw God in the storm. He saw God commanding the mighty waters. David wanted those who read and sang his songs to make that transition with him. To move from simply seeing the world to experiencing God in every moment.
Remember: He, too, saw flashing lights against the sky.
_________________________
Follow the link to hear Chicago perform “25 or 6 to 4” (with lyrics):
But you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen the PEANUTS gang do “25 or 6 to 4!”
PHOTO (and a great SMITHSONIAN article about lightning and dark matter(!):
_________________________
I hope you can join us, Friday morning, as we gather for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We meet in person at Our Breakfast Place and on Zoom** at 8:00. Lots of laughter mixed in with good food, scripture, and good discussions.
Blessings,
Steve
**Contact me for the Zoom link
NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera & microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY & THE COMING WEEK
Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Baptism of the Lord (January 9, 2022)
No comments:
Post a Comment