Phat Sound

Boney M had a great thing going. The fros, the sequins, those corded microphones. It was bitchin', to the max!

..and I've never read Psalm 137 the same way again.

It's verse four that has grabbed me this time. It's a thousand-year-old question that describes what I've been asking.

For those not as accustomed to the lyrics of this Psalm, here are some highlights:

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
for there our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
happy is he who repays you
for what you have done to us-
he who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.

I especially like the last bit (sadist!) but I'm taken with this line "how can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?"

As far as Israel is concerned, they've lost everything. They're engaged in a 'forcefull migration', they now serve a foreign empire and the temple is flattened. Talk about trauma and loss of hope.

If you've listened to Phil Baker a few times you will have heard him say something along the lines of "God is a song you get to hear". If you've seen a Nooma called Rhythm it is suggested that this song goes out through all of creation, those who hear and believe the melody live in tune with the song. Who can forget when Lewis wrote Aslan singing Narnia into existence? I claim no originality for this concept, apparently it's as old as the people of God. But 137 gets me, how do I sing this song in a foreign, fallen, aching land?

What does it sound like? What sort of person does it take to live this music?
What skills do I need to develop in order to play this divine song?

I think this song's tempo is slower than what I'm playing
slow down, not everything needs to happen in one bar

A simple melody enchants me
don't try to play all the notes at once, that's called dissonance

I hear some beautiful harmonies
work on that community, don't rely on your individuality

There are rests in this piece, spaces between the notes
take a sabbath, and keep it holy/wholly

I think this song is in the middle of a crescendo, it's loud but it's getting louder
be fortissimo in a world that lives mezzo

I hear this beat throughout history
look outside of 1900-2050AD, see the lives of those who have gone before you and will come after you

God, teach me the music, tutor me and train me, I'm terrible at sight-reading and it's going to take me a while to get in tune with all the other sounds you're making.