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Why burn poor and lonely?
Under a bowl
Or under a lamp shade
Or on the shelf beside the bed
Where at night you lay turning
Like a door on its hinges
First on your left side
Then on your right side
Then on your left side again
Why burn poor and lonely?
Tell all the stones
We're gonna make a building
They'll be cut into shape
And set into place
Or if you'd rather be a window
I'll gladly be the frame
Reflecting any kind words
We'll let in all the blame
And ruin our reputation all the same
So never mind our plan making
We'll start living
Anyway
Aren't you unbearably sad?
Then why burn so poor and lonely?
We'll be like torches
We'll be like torches
We'll be like torches
We’ll be torches together
Torches together
We'll be like torches
We'll be like torches
With whatever respect
Our tattered dignity demands
Torches together
Hand in hand
Why pluck one string?
What good is just one note?
Oh one string sounds fine I guess
But we were once one note
We weren’t lonely wheat
Quietly ground into grain
One light and momentary pain
So why the safe distance?
This curious look
Why tear out single pages,
When you can throw away the book?
Why pluck one string when you can
Strum the guitar?
Strum the guitar
Strum the guitar
Strum the guitar
With no beginning
With no end
Take down the guitar
And strum the guitar
Strum the guitar if you’re afraid
And I’m afraid
And everyone’s afraid
And everyone knows it
But we don’t have to be afraid
Anymore
You played the flute
But no one was dancing
You sang a sad song
But none of us cried
You played the flute
But no one was dancing
And you sang a sad song
You sang such a sad song
Under a bowl
Or under a lamp shade
Or on the shelf beside the bed
Where at night you lay turning
Like a door on its hinges
First on your left side
Then on your right side
Then on your left side again
Why burn poor and lonely?
Tell all the stones
We're gonna make a building
They'll be cut into shape
And set into place
Or if you'd rather be a window
I'll gladly be the frame
Reflecting any kind words
We'll let in all the blame
And ruin our reputation all the same
So never mind our plan making
We'll start living
Anyway
Aren't you unbearably sad?
Then why burn so poor and lonely?
We'll be like torches
We'll be like torches
We'll be like torches
We’ll be torches together
Torches together
We'll be like torches
We'll be like torches
With whatever respect
Our tattered dignity demands
Torches together
Hand in hand
Why pluck one string?
What good is just one note?
Oh one string sounds fine I guess
But we were once one note
We weren’t lonely wheat
Quietly ground into grain
One light and momentary pain
So why the safe distance?
This curious look
Why tear out single pages,
When you can throw away the book?
Why pluck one string when you can
Strum the guitar?
Strum the guitar
Strum the guitar
Strum the guitar
With no beginning
With no end
Take down the guitar
And strum the guitar
Strum the guitar if you’re afraid
And I’m afraid
And everyone’s afraid
And everyone knows it
But we don’t have to be afraid
Anymore
You played the flute
But no one was dancing
You sang a sad song
But none of us cried
You played the flute
But no one was dancing
And you sang a sad song
You sang such a sad song
Lyrics submitted by jaycar2a
Track duration: 03:47
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A biblical wedding account which employs the use of lamps (or possibly torches on long poles with oil-drenched rags at the end) is the parable of the ten virgins. Again, the rabbis point to a parallel from the ancient covenant ceremony on Sinai. There, on the day of revelation, the Scripture says that the people of Israel saw thunder, lightning and smoke (Ex. 20:18). In this passage the Hebrew term for lightning (lappidim) is the same word often rendered "torches." It is possible that this same rich Old Testament imagery of light is behind the description of Jesus, the Bridegroom, coming to take the Church, his bride: "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matt. 24:27). Compare also Paul's description of the Second Coming: "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire" (3 Thess. 1:7).
Taken from Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots Of The Christian Faith by Marvin R. Wilson (an incredible read. "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.")
More expansion on this: tallitministries.com/… (jump down to where it says "In the ancient world, the wedding procession...")
Thoughts?
I have little knowledge about apocryphal books, but the stones forming a building may also refer to Ephesians 2:15-22 which would make sense in light of several other observations regarding disunity in the church.
This song really gets me. It urges those who have been hurt or hold fear against the church in all its imperfaction to join in unity to this eternal family. As dysfunctional as we may be individually, we are also made holy as Christ's body from the minute we accept him. We can't keep growing apart in hopes of avoiding hurt or conflict.
It's possible to be happy without giving in to the pressure of society to find a wife, have kids, be a productive worker bee and mindless consumer and everything else the media tells us we need to be happy. It seems like Aaron is trying to convince someone to free themselves from the bullshit pressures that are making them unhappy, and asking them to just 'burn' (live) free and open with him. Torches together, hand in hand.
Vision 3
1[9]:9 When then I wanted to sit down on the right side, she would not allow me, but beckoned me with her hand that I should sit on the left side. As then I was musing thereon, and was sad because she would not permit me to sit on the right side, she saith to me, "Art thou sad, Hermas? The place on the right side is for others, even for those who have already been well-pleasing to God, and have suffered for the Name's sake. But thou lackest much that thou shouldest sit with them; but as thou abidest in thy simplicity, even so, and thou shalt sit with them, thou and as many as shall have done their deeds, and have suffered what they suffered."
and
2[10]:4 Then she again took me by the hand, and raiseth me, and seateth me on the couch at the left hand, while she herself sat on the right. And lifting up a certain glistening rod, she saith to me, "Seest thou a great thing?" I say to her, "Lady, I see nothing." She saith to me, "Look thou; dost thou not see in front of thee a great tower being builded upon the waters, of glistening square stones?"
2[10]:5 Now the tower was being builded foursquare by the six young men that came with her. And countless other men were bringing stones, some of them from the deep, and others from the land, and were handing them to the six young men. And they took them and builded.
2[10]:6 The stones that were dragged from the deep they placed in every case, just as they were, into the building, for they had been shaped, and they fitted in their joining with the other stones; and they adhered so closely one with another that their joining could not possibly be detected; and the building of the tower appeared as if it were built of one stone.
2[10]:7 But of the other stones which were brought from the dry land, some they threw away, and some they put into the building; and others they broke in pieces, and threw to a distance from the tower.
2[10]:8 Now many other stones were lying round the tower, and they did not use them for the building; for some of them were mildewed, and others had cracks in them, and others were too short, and others were white and round, and did not fit into the building.
2[10]:9 And I saw other stones thrown to a distance from the tower, and coming to the way, and yet not staying in the way, but rolling to where there was no way; and others falling into the fire and burning there; and others falling near the waters, and yet not able to roll into the water, although they desired to roll and to come to the water.
3[11]:1 When she had shown me these things, she wished to hurry away. I say to her, "Lady, what advantage is it to me to have seen these things, and yet not to know what the things mean? "She answered and said unto me, "Thou art an over-curious fellow, in desiring to know all that concerns the tower." "Yea, lady," I said, "that I may announce it to my brethren, and that they [may be the more gladdened and] when they hear [these things] they may know the Lord in great glory."
Vision 3
1[9]:9 When then I wanted to sit down on the right side, she would not allow me, but beckoned me with her hand that I should sit on the left side. As then I was musing thereon, and was sad because she would not permit me to sit on the right side, she saith to me, "Art thou sad, Hermas? The place on the right side is for others, even for those who have already been well-pleasing to God, and have suffered for the Name's sake. But thou lackest much that thou shouldest sit with them; but as thou abidest in thy simplicity, even so, and thou shalt sit with them, thou and as many as shall have done their deeds, and have suffered what they suffered."
and
2[10]:4 Then she again took me by the hand, and raiseth me, and seateth me on the couch at the left hand, while she herself sat on the right. And lifting up a certain glistening rod, she saith to me, "Seest thou a great thing?" I say to her, "Lady, I see nothing." She saith to me, "Look thou; dost thou not see in front of thee a great tower being builded upon the waters, of glistening square stones?"
2[10]:5 Now the tower was being builded foursquare by the six young men that came with her. And countless other men were bringing stones, some of them from the deep, and others from the land, and were handing them to the six young men. And they took them and builded.
2[10]:6 The stones that were dragged from the deep they placed in every case, just as they were, into the building, for they had been shaped, and they fitted in their joining with the other stones; and they adhered so closely one with another that their joining could not possibly be detected; and the building of the tower appeared as if it were built of one stone.
2[10]:7 But of the other stones which were brought from the dry land, some they threw away, and some they put into the building; and others they broke in pieces, and threw to a distance from the tower.
2[10]:8 Now many other stones were lying round the tower, and they did not use them for the building; for some of them were mildewed, and others had cracks in them, and others were too short, and others were white and round, and did not fit into the building.
2[10]:9 And I saw other stones thrown to a distance from the tower, and coming to the way, and yet not staying in the way, but rolling to where there was no way; and others falling into the fire and burning there; and others falling near the waters, and yet not able to roll into the water, although they desired to roll and to come to the water.
3[11]:1 When she had shown me these things, she wished to hurry away. I say to her, "Lady, what advantage is it to me to have seen these things, and yet not to know what the things mean? "She answered and said unto me, "Thou art an over-curious fellow, in desiring to know all that concerns the tower." "Yea, lady," I said, "that I may announce it to my brethren, and that they [may be the more gladdened and] when they hear [these things] they may know the Lord in great glory." Then said she,
I think this song is about folling the rythem of life as a Christian. One thing that I hear Christians say that make me grimice a little inside when ever I hear it is when they say, "oh we have to witness to others through our actions so we better get our act together." I think this is such bs. Not only is this exrteemly face it is not healthy because you are someone who you are not. In the bible after the part about the dancing and the morning it talks about how Jesus was talking to the pharissis and they where getting on to John the Babtist for not eating and drinking saying that he was demom posessed and on Jesus for eating and Drinking calling him a glunten and a drunkard. I think this part of the bible is about how we think christianity is some subscribtion that we have to follow but its not its a rythem. A dance to follow. Its about allowing our selves to be messed up and allowing others to see that we are messed up. Then slowly God takes away the burden of being so messed up so that we can breath again. We keep thinking we have have to protect our selves from the outside of the "christian relm" ha, Oh God. We are just as messed up as them but we can learn how to dance to accept our selves as messed up let God forgive us for being so messed up and then watch as in the midst of our dancing we learn to become a little less messed up.
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