A lot of things have been said about music. For example:
"Music is a higher revelation than philosophy." - Ludwig van Beethoven
"Music is well said to be the speech of angels." - Thomas Carlyle
"Music is Love in search of a word." - Sidney Lanier
"I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland." - Woody Allen
But how about the idea that God is like a song that we are called to play along with and in tune with?
When the folks over at Nooma were making a short film called Rhythm,
that is the very point they were making. But they of course didn't just
say it, they went so far as to give you a song to hum along with while
considering this.
And where did they find a song that could
stand up the test of being compared to The Tune we are called to know
and play along with?
David Vandervelde.
This 22 year old is writing some music worth dealing with. Content rich and just plain full of good sounds, Vandervelde's music sounds like it is coming from a soul that is much older than his.
If I could separate killers from the sword
I will serve no more
"Wisdom From A Tree" is the fifth track on a painfully short eight track disc entitled The Moonstation House Band. [the disc ends with "Moonlight Instrumental" - the song featured in Rhythm.] If you haven't checked out Vandervelde yet, here is your chance. There is much more to be found on his Myspace page as well and, of course, you can buy it all on iTunes. Vandervelde has been featured on several Noomas to date and is currently touring the US & Europe.
Here's a question for the lyrics of "Wisdom From A Tree": Do they sound like truth or lies?
Wisdom from a Tree (lyrics)
by David Vandervelde
All is well
All is well with my soul
All is young
All is so young
If these days are numbered
Nothing really matters to me, baby
If I could separate killers from the sword
I will serve no more
If you don't take wisdom from the tree
You will never be
Come on, lend me some grace
Until right now, I've been so good
In my life
Ya know, in my life
Fed up with the reasons while
I'm drifting through the seasons,
This I'm sure of
If I could separate killers from the sword
I will serve no more
If you don't take wisdom from the tree
You will never be
If you don't drink water from the stone
You will never know
