The Oregon Trail

hearts will mend on the open road

Get Your Hands Dirty April 16, 2008

Filed under: Uncategorized — lifebythetracks @ 5:01 am

The new Thrice album came out today- rather, the second half of the new Thrice album came out. I like it a lot. I am sure it will give me something to ponder for months. These are the lyrics to the opening song on The Alchemy Index: Vol. IV: Earth.

Moving Mountains by: Dustin Kensrue (of Thrice)

I speak in many tongues to many men;
argue with angels and I always win,
but I don’t know the first thing about love.
I prophesy and know all mysteries;
all hidden things are opened up to me,
but I don’t know the first thing about love.

I have the keys to open any door;
I give all my possessions to the poor,
but I don’t know the first thing about love.
And moving mountains aint no thing to me;
I’ve faith enough to cast them to the sea,
but I don’t know the first thing about love.

But all other things shall fade away;
while love stands alone and still holds sway.
All other things shall fade away;
into the ground, into the grey.

I give my body up unto the flames;
and never once have I denied your name,
but I don’t know the first thing about love.

 

Most Often Someone Else Has Said It, and Said It Better April 10, 2008

Filed under: Uncategorized — lifebythetracks @ 5:58 pm

I have been wordless for some time now.  I have sat down to write on a few occasions, punched out a few drafts, but haven’t been happy with anything.  Redundant.

So I have decided, until words flow, I will write down the words of others; words that have inspired me, carried me, ministered to me, and the like.  So for the time being; until I again have a thought worth noting, enjoy these:

O’ Porcupine written by Aaron Weiss (of mewithoutYou)

without a queen the locust swarm
turned the ground black
descending like a shadowy tower on a fish’s back
and scattered the sticks who crawled
like snakes in the sand
as the red clay took the form of a lizard
who rushed like a moth to the flame of my open hand

[while, in my little world...]
a speckled bird humbly inspired
ran across the road when it could have flown
and it made me smile
at the water’s edge, Babylon
we laid down and slept
as the river wept for you, O’ Zion!
the stones cry out,
bells shake the sky
all creation groans…

SHHHH!!!
<honestly, be quiet a while-
particularly outside>

listen to it!

messes of men in farmer poverty;
not much for monks but we pretend to be
share a silent meal and a pot of chamomile
gypsies like us should be stamped in solidarity
I hold you in my fond but distant memory
while for the Mother Hen to gather me
who regretfully wrote,

“you ave a decent ear for notes
but you can’t yet appreciate harmony.”

O’ porcupine perched low in the tree
your eyes to mine:

“you’d be well inclined not to mess with me.”

at the garden’s edge beneath a speechless sky
as his friends all slept
Jesus wept-and no wonder
and now you say you wanna be set free??
and wanna set me free???
well I’m told that can only come from
a union with the One who never dies

[while, in my little world, I patched a plaster wall
and in my little world,I was waiting (just dying!)
to take offense at something
this is all there in my sad little world]

in darkness a light shines
on you and me

I never gathered figs from a thorny branch,
I never picked grapefruit off a bramble bush
and for the past five-almost six years now!-
you know you haven’t once looked at me
with kindness in your eyes
you say Judas is a brother of mine?
but sister in our darkness a light shines
and all I ever want to say for the rest of my life
is how that light is G-d,
and though I’ve been mistaken on this point or that point,
that light is nevertheless G-d.