#A Prayer to St. Peter lyrics

[jnwakeling]

An African Prayer (Thanks to the Saints)

By Jonathan N. Wakeling Harare, November 12th 2023

. . .

For my Brother and my Sister - ever together in spirit and the safety of numbers Africa

. . .

Of St. John and St. George and of Jonathan and King David, of St. Peter and St. Paul and of St. Mary and St. Barbara

Of Sarah and of Delilah

Of Aaron's Rod and Jacob's Ladder

God bless and devil be behind me

. . .

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

~Psalm 23:4, KJV

. . .

Thanks, firstly and foremost, to St. Christopher, for helping me cross the Jordan and the Zambezi and the Thames and all the wide rivers of life

Thanks to St. Luke for giving me the freedom to paint like Vincent and Picasso and Frida Kahlo

Thanks to St. Beatrix for keeping my candle lit in the depths of Africa and equally brightly lit back at home in Blighty and for all humanity

Thanks to St. Francis of Assisi for making me a lover of nature in all its glory and its myriad forms

Thanks to the Saints for I know not who I am

Thanks to the Saints for I know not what I do

Thanks St. Vincent for helping me choose a good red and also a sweet white wine - thanks for the food and drink, and for the ladies and gents

Thanks to St. Adrian for manning my army of words and making me a good soldier of the Lord, I pray Africa

Thanks to St. Justin for making me wise beyond my years and thanks to St. David for letting me wax lyrical like Yeats or Eliot, Wordsworth or the Bard of Avon

And thanks to St. Thomas for guiding me through the University of Life even on my doubting days

And thanks to all the Saints in the heavens above - St. Dominic especially - my friend and my companion through our collective living night that is today's modern world (and thanks for my telescope St. Dominic by which device I may touch the heavens)

Thanks to the Saints

Thanks too to the Lady Saints. Thanks to St. Monica who keeps my precious Mother safe

Thanks to the Saints

St. Catherine for schoolgirls. St. Nicholas for schoolboys

And St. Anthony to dig our graves when at last our Great Wheel turns

Thanks to the Saints

Thanks to San Francisco America, the north and thanks to São Paulo, America, south of the Equator

Rome wasn't built in a day and Homer sometimes nods

Thanks, at last, to St. Dorothea for keeping my garden green and my flowers blooming that all may see the light - and thanks, therefore, also for the blazing light of your candle, St. Beatrix, in the twilight of my years

Thanks to the Saints, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

For we no not, for we no not

Thanks to the Saints, Moses the Black and Our Lady of Africa, and bless the bed that I lie on Planet Earth and Lady Gaia. The world before us, hell behind us and the heavens above us, I, St. Africa The Great, do bless you all

Thanks to the Saints

Thanks to St. Homobonus for the tailors and to St. Maurice for the weavers

and to St. Cecilia for the song and thanks for the dance St. Vitus

Thanks my Lord and my Lady

Thanks to the Saints, thank you, thank you, thanks St. Faustina for every little joy and every little moment of sadness

With thanks for the kindness of the stranger on the rocky roads of life, I bid you adieu St. Christopher

💟✝️🙏

#poetry #saints #prayer #africa

[finishinglinepress]

FLP CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY: war / torn by Peter Vanderberg

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/war-torn-by-peter-vanderberg/

Combining #poems and #drawings, war / torn is a meditation on the nature of #war and our relationship to its devastation. Directly inspired by the tragic news and images from the war in #Ukraine, this #chapbook seeks to understand the trauma and loss that is faced by mothers, fathers, children, and grandmothers in a distant place that becomes personal through our shared human experience. This book argues that “the role of the poet during times of war” is to build empathy for all who suffer through “the ratio between prayer & poetry.”

Peter Vanderberg is the Editor of Ghostbird Press and author of Crossing Pleasant Lake (Red Bird Chapbooks), celestial navigation (Finishing Line Press), and Drownproof (Black Centipede Press). He served in the US Navy, received an MFA from CUNY Queens College, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at St. John’s University.

PRAISE FOR war / torn by Peter Vanderberg

Peter Vanderberg’s war / torn poems transverse geographic spaces, histories, media, languages, and generations. The voices of Vanderberg’s verses pose critical questions about warfare, family, and the sacred, as they render a brilliant “ratio of prayer & poetry” where “seeing / is perceiving is witness / & that writing is preserving & prayer.” This is an exciting collection, where Vanderberg also offers his own stirring illustrations, which complement the lyrical qualities of his poetic voyages into ethics and power.

–Steven Alvarez, Author of Fence Modern Poets Prize winning The Codex Mojaodicus

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #chapbook #read #poems #war #Ukraine

#war

[readingdiary]

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2022/sep/08/queen-elizabeth-ii-health-royals-medical-observation-latest-news-live-updates

*****

PLANNING 10/9/22 - ‘KING CHARLES 111’s FIRST ADDRESS TO THE NATION AND COMMONWEALTH’ - KING CHARLES III

FOR QUOTE OF THE WEEK 12/9/22 - RIP QUEEN ELIZABETH II

The Queen has died unexpectedly so I need a change of quote for Monday. I was planning to use the poem ‘Church Going’ by Philip Larkin for the Ride and Stride weekend, plus to welcome the new evangelicals clergy to our new ‘resource church’.

Ride and Stride have put an announcement on their website re mourning saying that ‘quiet events’ are still allowed to go ahead so the churches will be open.

https://ridestride.org/

However the launch of the new resource church at St Peters in South Ham has been cancelled. 

https://www.basingstoke.church/

They had planned bouncy castles ���

… and hot dogs.

*****

‘AND FLIGHTS OF ANGELS SING THEE TO THY REST’

I have decided to use the last line of the new King Charles’ first address. 

‘May “flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest”.’ (King Charles III, 2022).

It has taken me ages to work out the referencing because the original quote is from ‘Hamlet’ but I want to include the ‘May’. The quote also appears in various other contexts.

‘Hamlet’

‘Good night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.’ (Shakespeare in Lythgoe, 2022).

This article from ‘The Manchester Evening News’ explains it:

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/meaning-behind-king-charles-flights-24982570

‘Song for Athene’

‘Alleluia. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.’ (Thekla in ‘Song for Athene’, 2022).

This wasn’t written for Princess Diana but it became famous for being performed at her funeral. The lyrics were written by orthodox nun Mother Theckla at John Taverner’s request, for the funeral of family friend Athene Hariades. It is often just know as ‘May Flights of Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest’. I can’t imagine that King Charles was quoting an anthem sung at his ex wife’s funeral. He had to be quoting Shakespeare.

‘Blackadder II - Episode 2 - Head’

‘LF: Oh thank you Mam. May flights of angels sing you to your rest!

Q: Yes, I'm sure they will!’ (Curtis and Elton in ‘All Blackadder Scripts’, 2012).

I love this not least because the ‘Q’ line is spoken by Queeny ie Elizabeth I. However the quote is obviously used in terms of a casual ‘Goodnight’ so is not quite appropriate.

‘Go forth upon your journey from this world … ‘

Go forth upon your journey from this world, O Christian soul,

In the name of the Father who created you;

in the name of Jesus Christ who redeemed you;

in the name of the Holy Spirit who strengthened you.

May flights of angels wing you to your rest, and may your portion this day be in peace,

and your dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.’ (‘Go forth upon your journey in this world … ‘ in George, 2022).

My friend and I have just had a complicated exchange of messages re this prayer. She remembered it from funeral services but didn’t know where it originally came from. 

References

‘All Blackadder Scripts’ (2012) ‘Blackadder II - Episode 2 - Head’. Available at: https://allblackadderscripts.blogspot.com/2012/11/?m=1 (Accessed 10 September 2022).

George, E. (2022) ‘Go forth upon your journey from this world … ‘ Personal collection, original date and source unknown. WhatsApp message to Pauline Courtenay, 10 September 2022.

King Charles III (2022) ‘King Charles III’s first address to the nation and Commonwealth’ [Televised address after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II]. 9 September 2022.

Lythgoe, G. (2022) ‘The meaning behind King Charles' 'flights of angels' line from first public address’, ‘The Manchester Evening News’ 9 September [Online]. Available at: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/meaning-behind-king-charles-flights-24982570Accessed 10 September 2022.

‘Song for Athene’ (2022) ‘Wikipedia’. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_for_Athene (Accessed 10 September 2022).

*****

FLOWERS AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE

These photos were messaged to me by my friend who visited on the 9th.

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

#planning #quoteoftheweek #elizabethII #charlesIII

[pamphletstoinspire]

The Vigil of the Nativity - December 24, 2020 (With Prayer)

Adapted from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger, The Vigil of the Nativity

Ascendit autem et Joseph . . . ut profittretur cutit Maria desponsata sibi uxore pregnant.

“And Joseph also went up . . . to be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.”–St. Luke, ii. 4.

“At length,” says St. Peter Damian in his sermon for this holy eve, “we have come from the stormy sea into the tranquil port; hitherto it was the promise, now it is the prize; hitherto labor, now rest; hitherto despair, now hope; hitherto the way, now our home. The heralds of the divine promise came to us; but they gave us nothing but rich promises. Hence our psalmist himself grew wearied and slept, and, with a seemingly reproachful tone, thus sings his lamentation to God: ‘But thou hast rejected and despised us; Thou hast deferred the coming of Thy Christ’ (Ps. 138). At another time he assumes a tone of command and thus prays: ‘O Thou that sittest upon the Cherubim, show Thyself!’ (Ps. 129) Seated on Thy high throne, with myriads of adoring angels around Thee, look down upon the children of men, who are victims of that sin, which was committed indeed by Adam, but permitted by Thy justice. Remember what my substance is (Ps. 138); Thou didst make it to the likeness of Thine own; for though every living man is vanity, yet inasmuch as he is made to Thy image, he is not a passing vanity (Ps. 38). Rend Thy heavens and come down, and turn the eyes of Thy mercy upon us Thy miserable supplicants, and forget us not unto the end!

“Isaias, also, in the vehemence of his desire, thus spoke: ‘For Sion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest, till her Just One come forth as brightness. Oh, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and wouldst come down!’ So, too, all the prophets, tired of the long delay of the coming, have prayed to Thee, now with supplication, now with lamentation, and now with cries of impatience. We have listened to these their prayers; we have made use of them as our own, and now, nothing can give us joy or gladness, till our Savior come and say to us: ‘I have heard and granted your prayers.’

“But what is this that has been said to us: ‘Sanctify yourselves, O ye children of Israel, and be ready: for on the morrow the Lord will come down’? We are, then, but one half day and night from the grand visit, the admirable birth of the Infant God! Hurry on your course, ye fleeting hours, that we may the sooner see the Son of God in His crib, and pay our homage to this world-saving birth. You, brethren, are the children of Israel, that are sanctified, and cleansed from every defilement of soul and body; be ready, by your earnest devotion, for tomorrow’s mysteries. Such, indeed, you are, if I may judge from the manner in which you have spent these sacred days of preparation for the coming of your Savior.

“But if, notwithstanding all your care, some drops of the stream of this life’s frailties are still on your hearts, wipe them away and cover them with the snow-white robe of confession. This I can promise you from the mercy of the Divine Infant: he that shall confess his sins and be sorry for them, shall have born within him the Light of the world; the darkness that deceived him shall be dispelled; and he shall enjoy the brightness of the true Light. For how can mercy be denied to the miserable this night, in which the merciful and compassionate Lord is so mercifully born? Therefore, drive away from you all haughty looks, and idle words, and unjust works; let your loins be girt, and your feet walk in the right paths; and then come, and accuse the Lord, if this night He does not rend the heavens, and come down to you, and cast all your sins into the depths of the sea.”

This holy eve is, indeed, a day of grace and hope, and we ought to spend it in spiritual joy. The Church, contrary to Her general practice, prescribes that if Christmas Eve fall on a Sunday, the Office and the Mass of the Vigil should take precedence over the Office and Mass of the 4th Sunday of Advent. How solemn, then, in the eyes of the Church, are these few hours, which separate us from the great Feast! On all other Feasts, no matter how great they may be, the solemnity begins no earlier then First Vespers, and until then the Church restrains Her joy, and celebrates the Divine Office and Mass of most vigils according to the Lenten rite. Christmas, on the contrary, seems to begin with the Vigil; and one would suppose that this morning’s Lauds were the opening of the Feast; for the solemn intonation of this portion of the Office is that of a Double, and the antiphons are sung before and after each psalm or canticle. The violet vestments are used at the Mass, but the rubrics are less somber than on the Advent ferias.

Let us enter into the spirit of the Church, and prepare ourselves, in all the joy of our hearts, to meet the Savior Who is coming to us. Let us observe with strictness the fast which is prescribed; it will enable our bodies to aid the promptness of our spirit. Let us delight in the thought that, before we again lie down to rest, we shall have seen Him born, in the solemn midnight, Who comes to give light to every creature. For surely it is the duty of every faithful child of the Catholic Church to celebrate with Her this happy night, when, in spite of all the coldness of devotion, the whole universe keeps up its watch for the arrival of its Savior. It is one of the last vestiges of the piety of ancient days, and God forbid it should ever be effaced!

Let us, in a spirit of prayer, look at the principal portions of the Office of this beautiful Vigil. First then, the Church makes a mysterious announcement to Her children. It serves as the Invitatory of Matins, and as the Introit and Gradual of the Mass. They are the words which Moses addressed to the people of God when he told them of the heavenly manna, which they would receive on the morrow. We too are expecting our Manna, our Jesus, the Bread of Life, Who is to be born in Bethlehem, which translated means the “House of Bread”:

This day you shall know that the Lord will come, and in the morning you shall see His glory.

The Responsories are full of sublimity and sweetness. Nothing can be more affecting than their lyric melody, sung to us by our Mother the Church, on the very night which precedes the night of Jesus’ Birth:

R. Sanctify yourselves this day, and be ready: for on the morrow you shall see * the Majesty of God amongst you. V. This day you shall know that the Lord will come, and in the morning you shall see * the Majesty of God amongst you.

R. Be constant; you shall see the help of the Lord upon you: fear not, Judea and Jerusalem: * Tomorrow you shall go forth, and the Lord shall be with you: V. Sanctify yourselves, children of Israel, and be ready. * Tomorrow you shall go forth, and the Lord shall be with you.

R. Sanctify yourselves, children of Israel, saith the Lord: for on the morrow, the Lord shall come down: * And He shall take from you all that is languid. V. Tomorrow the iniquity of the earth shall be cancelled, and over us shall reign the Savior of the world. * And He shall take from you all that is languid.

At the Office of Prime, in cathedral chapters and monasteries, the announcement of tomorrow’s Feast is made with unusual solemnity. The lector, who frequently is one of the dignitaries of the choir, sings with a magnificent chant the following lesson from the Martyrology. All the assistants remain standing during it, until the lector comes to the word Bethlehem, at which all genuflect, and continue with bended knee until all the glad tidings are told:

The Eighth of the Calends of January. The year from the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created Heaven and earth, five thousand one hundred and ninety-nine: from the deluge, the year two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven: from the birth of Abraham, the year two thousand and fifteen: from Moses and the going out of the people of Israel from Egypt, the year one thousand five hundred and ten: from David’s being anointed king, the year one thousand and thirty-two: in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel: in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad: from the building of the city of Rome, the year seven hundred and fifty-two: in the forty-second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus: the whole world being in peace: in the sixth age of the world: Jesus Christ, the eternal God, and Son of the eternal Father, wishing to consecrate this world by His most merciful coming, being conceived of the Holy Ghost, and nine months since His conception having passed, in Bethelehem of Juda, is born of the Virgin Mary, being made Man: The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to the Flesh!

Thus have passed before us, in succession, all the generations of the world. (It should be noted that on this one day alone, and on this single occasion, does the Church adopt the Septuagint chronology, according to which the Birth of our Savior took place five thousand years after the Creation; whereas the Vulgate version, and the Hebrew text, place only four thousand years between the two events. This shows us the liberty which the Church allows us on this question.) Each generation is asked if it may have seen Him Whom we are expecting, and each is silent; until the Name of Mary is pronounced, and then is proclaimed the Nativity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made Man. St. Bernard, speaking of this announcement, says: “The voice of joy has gone forth in our land, the voice of rejoicing and of salvation is in the tabernacles of the just. There has been heard a good word, a word that gives consolation, a word that is full of gladsomeness, a word worthy of all acceptance. Resound with praise, ye mountains, and all ye trees of the forests clap your hands before the face of the Lord, for He is coming. Hearken, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth! Be astounded and give praise, O all ye creatures! But thou, O man, more than all they! Jesus Christ the Son of God, is born in Bethlehem of Juda! O brief word of the Word abridged (Rom. 9: 28), and yet how full of heavenly beauty! The heart, charmed with the honeyed sweetness of the expression, would fain diffuse it and spread it out into more words; but no, it must be given just as it is, or you spoil it: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is born in Bethlehem of Juda!” (Second Sermon for Christmas Eve)

The Gospel of today’s Mass is the passage which relates the trouble of St. Joseph and the visit he received from the Angel. This incident, which forms one of the preludes to the Birth of our Savior, could not be omitted from the Liturgy for Advent; and so far, there was no suitable occasion for its insertion. The Vigil of Christmas was the right day for the Gospel, for another reason: the Angel, in speaking to St. Joseph, tells him that the Name to be given to the Child of Mary is Jesus, which signifies that He will save His people from their sins.

Let us contemplate our Blessed Lady, and Her faithful Spouse St. Joseph, leaving the city of Jerusalem, and continuing their journey to Bethlehem, which they reach after a few hours. In obedience to the will of Heaven, they repair to the place where their names are to be enrolled, as the emperor’s edict requires. There is entered in the public register Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth in Galilee. To his name, there is, doubtless, added that of Mary, Spouse of the above-named Joseph. Perhaps they enter Her as a young woman, in the ninth month of Her pregnancy. And this is all! O Incarnate Word! Thou art not yet counted by men! Thou art upon this earth of Thine, and men set Thee down as nothing! And yet, all this excitement of the enrollment of the world is to be for nothing else but this, that Mary, Thy august Mother, may come to Bethlehem, and there give Thee birth!

O ineffable mystery! How grand is this apparent littleness! How mighty this divine weakness! But God has still lower to descend than merely coming on our earth. He goes from house to house of His people: not one will receive Him. He must go and seek a crib in the stable of poor dumb beasts. There, until such time as the Angels sing to Him their hymn, and the shepherds and the Magi come with their offerings, He will meet “the ox that knoweth its Owner, and the ass that knoweth its Master’s crib!” (Is. 1: 3) O Savior of men, Emmanuel, Jesus! We too, will go to this stable of Bethlehem. Thy new birth, which is tonight, shall not be without loving and devoted hearts to bless it. At this very hour, Thou art knocking at the doors of Bethlehem, and who is there that will take Thee in? Thou sayest to my soul in the words of the Canticle: “Open to me, my sister, my beloved!” (Cant. 5: 2) Ah, sweet Jesus! Thou shalt not be refused here! I beseech Thee, enter my house. I have been watching and longing for Thee. Come, then, Lord Jesus, come! (Apoc. 22: 20) 

Christmas Eve Prayer from the Liturgical Year, 1910

O Divine Infant! we, too, must needs join our voices with those of the Angels, and sing with them: Glory be to God! and Peace to men! We cannot restrain our tears at hearing this history of Thy Birth. We have followed Thee in Thy journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem; we have kept close to Mary and Joseph on the whole journey; we have kept sleepless watch during this holy Night, waiting Thy coming. Praise be to Thee, sweetest Jesus, for Thy mercy! and love from all hearts, for Thy tender love of us! Our eyes are riveted on that dear Crib, for our Salvation is there; and there we recognise Thee as the Messias foretold in those sublime Prophecies, which Thy Spouse the Church has been repeating to us, in her solemn prayers of this Night. Thou art the Mighty God–the Prince of Peace–the Spouse of our souls–our Peace–our Saviour–our Bread of Life. And now, what shall we offer thee? A good Will?

Ah! dear Lord! Thou must form it within us; Thou must increase it, if Thou hast already given it; that thus, we may become Thy Brethren by grace, as we already are by the human nature Thou hast assumed. But, O Incarnate Word! this Mystery of Thy becoming Man, works within us a still higher grace:–it makes us, as Thy Apostle tells us, partakers of that divine nature, which is inseparable with Thee in the midst of all Thy humiliations. Thou hast made us less than the Angels, in the scale of creation; but, in Thy Incarnation, Thou hast made us Heirs of God, and Joint-Heirs with Thine own divine Self! Never permit us, through our own weaknesses and sins, to degenerate from this wonderful gift, whereby Thy Incarnation exalted us, and oh! dear Jesus, to what a height!  Amen 

#christmas eve

[ratballet]

For the Ghost ask meme; 2, 4,11 and 14!

2) what’s your dream ghost concert setlist?

i feel like they’re in that sweet spot as a band where they kind have the exact right number of songs for live shows - all the best ones are usually still on the setlist. but i would love to spirit and secular haze on there more often!!

4) name your favorite and least favorite song from every album.

i’m going to exclude instrumentals from this because that feels like cheating!

opus eponymous:

favorite: satan prayer (SO good live. the solo is 🥵)

least fave: prime mover (it just doesn’t go anywhere interesting for me!!) 

infestissusmam:

favorite: year zero!! (i really feel like you can hear martin’s fingerprints on this one. it is peerless.)

least fave: depth of satan’s eyes (b/c kopromancer made an appearance with those metaphors...) 

meliora:

favorite: square hammer (i’m counting the deluxe version because i make the rules. this 100% deserves to be their most popular song. i could listen to it a zillion times and not get tired of it)

least fave: majesty or deus in absentia? really, really hard to pick a least favorite though. meliora is so 😙🤏❤️

prequelle:

favorite: faith!

least fave: pains me to say this because it’s got some great lyrics, but see the light. i know people pick on pro memoria’s endless “don’t you forget about dying” refrain but at least it’s got some popcorn.gif bitchiness w/ the swede st. peter lines to make it a little more 👀 see the light doesn’t quite Get There, even with the excellent “grotesque & obscene” line. 

11) favorite ghost meme?

already answered, but if i can pick a second answer... catboy dewdrop. i’m weak. 

14) favorite and least favorite papa? 

this is so hard!!! favorite is probably copia, least favorite is probably papa i for sheer lack of screentime. rest in peace you funky lil jack-o-lantern <3 maybe in the next life.

#ask game #thank yoouuuuu <3 #squeenixlife

[hatingwithfears]

BOOKS READ IN 2020

I read 93 books this year. 31,369 pages total for an average of 86 pages a day.

Andre Aciman- Find Me

Dan Ackerman- The Tetris Effect: The Game that Hypnotized The World

Eric Alterman- It Ain’t No Sin to be Glad You’re Alive: The Promise of Bruce Springsteen

Stephen Arroyo- Astrology, Psychology, and The Four Elements

St. Augustine- Confessions

James Baldwin- Collected Essays

John Barton- A History of The Bible

Richard Beck- Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel According to Johnny Cash

St. Benedict- The Rule of Saint Benedict

Georges Bernanos- The Diary of a Country Priest

Allie Brosh- Solutions and Other Problems

Augusten Burroughs- Toil & Trouble

Leonora Carrington- The Complete Stories

Ta-Nehisi Coates- The Water Dancer

Mark Z. Danielewski- The Little Blue Kite

Philip K. Dick- Dr. Bloodmoney

Michael Drosnin- Citizen Hughes

Eknath Easwaran- The Dhammapada

Ed Falco- The Family Corleone

Nick Flynn- My Feelings

Neil Gaiman- Fragile Things

Mark Gevisser- The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers

H Perry Horton- In Dreams

Robert Hudson- The Monk’s Record Player

Steven Hyden- This Isn’t Happening: Radiohead’s Kid A and The Beginning of the 21st Century

Robert Inchausti- Thomas Merton’s American Prophecy

William James- The Varieties of Religious Experience

Carl G Jung- Man and His Symbols

Pauline Kael- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Pauline Kael- Raising Kane

Pauline Kael- Reeling

Adam Katzenstein- Everything is an Emergency

Charlie Kaufman- Antkind

Rupi Kaur- Home Body

Morton T. Kelsey- The Other Side of Silence: A Guide To Christian Meditation

Ibram X. Kendi- Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America

Glenn Kenny- Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas

Mark Lewisohn- The Beatles: All These Years, Vol 1: Tune In

Yiyun Li- Where Reasons End

Greil Marcus- The History of Rock N’ Roll in Ten Songs

Carl McColman- The Big Book of Christian Mysticism

John McPhee- Draft No. 4: On The Writing Process

Thomas Merton- The Sign of Jonas

Thomas Merton- No Man is an Island

Thomas Merton- New Seeds of Contemplation

Thomas Merton- Zen and The Birds of Appetite

Thomas Merton- The Wisdom of The Desert

Thomas Merton- Contemplative Prayer

Thomas Merton- The Asian Journals of Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton- The Collected Poems

Toni Morrison- The Source of Self-Regard

Benjamin Moser- Sontag: Her Life, Her Work

Emily Nussbaum- I Like To Watch

Barack Obama- The Audacity of Hope

Yoko Ono- Acorn

Elaine Pagels- Adam, Eve, and the Serpent

Elaine Pagels- The Origin of Satan

Chuck Palahniuk- Consider This

L Sherley Price- The Little Flowers of St. Francis

Jamie Quatro- Fire Sermon

Ian Reid- I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Richard Rohr- The Universal Christ

Philip Roth- Why Write?: Collected Nonfiction 1960-2013

Antoine De Saint-Exupery- The Little Prince

Chris Salewicz- Jimmy Page: The Definitive Biography

Jean-Paul Sartre- Nausea

Jean-Paul Sartre- Situations

Lawrence Shainberg- Four Men Shaking

Sam Shepard- Sky of The First Person

Tom Shone- The Nolan Variations

Patti Smith- Collected Lyrics: 1970-2015

Zadie Smith- White Teeth

Zadie Smith- Changing My Mind

Zadie Smith- Grand Union

Zadie Smith- Intimations

Jacqueline Susann- Valley of The Dolls

St. Teresa of Avila- The Interior Castle

Brad Warner- Sit Down and Shut Up

John Waters- Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder

George Weigel- The Irony Of Modern Catholic History

Walt Whitman- Leaves of Grass

Hanya Yanagihara- A Little Life

Ed. Roger Ebert- Roger Ebert’s Book of Film

Ed. Holly George-Warren- The Rolling Stone Book of The Beats

Ed. William Johnson- The Cloud of Unknowing

Ed. Carl Jung- Man and His Symbols

Ed. Bill Morgan & Nancy J. Peters- Howl on Trial: The Battle for Free Expression

Ed. Mark Woodworth & Ally-Jane Grossan- How To Write About Music

[cchmissions]

Passages Israel Trip 1/7/20

"Consider the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" -Matthew 6:26 

 This morning, some of us chose to wake up early and watch the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee. As I watched a night sky that's not terribly different than what we see in America give way to a new day, I couldn't help watching the birds flitting about their business and thinking about Matthew 6:26, especially with the knowledge that I'd soon be on the mountain where Jesus taught the core of His message, including this charge to consider the birds. Right now, if you asked me to tell you about this trip, I'd only have a single word: contrast. Contrast between the grimy streets of Bethlehem and the raw beauty of the Mediterranean sunset., between the kindergarten/bomb shelter near Gaza that has no south-facing windows to protect the children against snipers and the peaceful snowy peak of Mount Hermon that beckoned us from the Golan Heights, and between the widow of terrorism who spoke to us about her husband's life and the simple placard outside the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem: "He is not here. He is Risen!"

The contrast between the kingdoms we've built and the one God is establishing for eternity and between our work and the work of God. 

 We have the privilege on this trip to see many of the locations where Jesus' life and ministry played out and where God intervened to supersede our work with His. After the sunrise, we went directly to the church of the Beatitudes, near where Jesus gave the sermon on the mount. This was many people's favorite church we've seen. It was relatively simple, and the focus of the area didn't seem to be the church as much as the mountain itself--the Church has an expansive balcony and garden overlooking the Sea of Galilee several hundred feet below us. Here, we had the opportunity to hear a short devotional on the paradigm shift Jesus laid out on this mountain, from a life defined by output to a life defined by heart. We then took some time to journal, pray, and reflect on both the sermon and the trip.

 From there, we went to the Tabgha (Church of the Primacy of Peter)--purportedly where Jesus asked Simon Peter three times if he loved Jesus. This church was directly on the shore of the sea of Galilee, so many of us merely poked our heads into the building and immediately went down to dip our toes into the water where Jesus walked. Lance then gave a tremendous word on this exchange between Jesus and Peter: Jesus meets us where we are, and regardless of our material abilities, we are needed.

 From Tabgha, we left to see the ruins of the city of Capernaum. This was a fishing village that was demolished by an earthquake in the 8th century, and has a spot that is now venerated as Simon Peter's house. Unfortunately, as Lance pointed out, Peter took his mailbox with him when he moved out, so we can't know for certain. This place offered another stunning view of the Sea of Galilee, and here Jody described a Biblical event that happened in Capernaum--the four men lowering their crippled friend through the roof to Jesus. He challenged us to lay our spiritual life at the center of our lives in front of Jesus, and see what healing comes from that act of obedience. 

 Next, we had lunch--authentic "St. Peter's fish," Tilapia. Our next stop was one of my favorites: a brief cruise on the sea of Galilee. Here, Jody challenged us to greater faith as our boat was rocked by the same waves that swamped Peter. This was particularly impactful for me; having seen these places with my own eyes, faith will be easy for the immediate future, but the action piece won't be as easy. Jody's challenge was simple: if you have greater faith, what's next? What happens after God works powerfully, and you find yourself back in the boat, having trod upon the waves? After this challenge, we sang. The lyrics came alive as a storm blew in and the sea changed within minutes from flat and calm to whitecaps blowing sea spray: "So I will call upon your name // and keep my eyes above the waves // when oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace // for I am yours, and you are mine"

 From here, we got to see Magdala, an archeological discovery that was only made in 2009: a first century city, including synagogue, on the shores of Galilee. Mary Magdalene would have called this place home. Scripture speaks often of Jesus moving around the area of Galilee and teaching in the synagogues. The ruins we saw would have been a prime location for Jesus to teach and further His ministry. The modern addition was a beautiful series of chapels, all dedicated to women of the faith. I particularly appreciated this spot and that decision: even our Jewish tour guide expressed her appallment with the Church's ignorance and treatment of women, especially with the powerful ways women act and are shown in Scripture. This area presents a powerful push back to the original beauty of Scripture. 

 Our last stop today was Yardenit, a place along the Jordan River where Jesus' baptism may have taken place. I expected to be disgusted by the touristy nature of this place and how it makes a declaration of faith into a bus stop, but I was very surprised at what I saw instead: groups from east Asia, Ghana, and other nations singing, dancing, and praising God as they were all baptized. I will never know their hearts, but I know what I saw: the name of the Lord being proclaimed with glad hearts. The river Jordan in this spot is nothing like I had ever pictured it--it's not a desert. It's actually quite lush, and not too different from some oversized creeks in Missouri.

  This day, like all on this trip, has been packed full of stops, things to see, and information to digest. Today, though, was much more personal. Our goal wasn't to learn, but to experience. I'll never read scripture the same way after seeing the things we saw today.

Thank you all for your prayers and support on this trip. As incredible as Israel is, we're growing more excited to be home in America.

 In Christ Alone,

 Adam Brooks

[ladygagauniverse]

         Lady Gaga’s second album Born This Way, includes “Judas” which is arguably the most theological song on the artist’s album. It was released on April 15, 2011, and is reminiscent of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” regarding its appropriation of religious themes (A.G.S.).  Lady Gaga’s “Judas” theological vision contains two Christian figures that deeply influence the music video--  Mary Magdalene and Judas (Roberts, 173). The video begins with Gaga riding alongside a motorcycle gang “consisting of the twelve disciples; Jesus and Judas are the prominent figures” (Roberts, 173). Judas referring to one of the disciples Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Cheng). While Gaga embodies Mary Magdalene who is a historically stigmatized figure in Christianity, she also represents the protagonist throughout the video (A.G.S.). Mary Magdalene throughout the early apostolic church “suppressed the image of Mary as a respected disciple of Jesus, making her instead into the repentant prostitute” (Jesus, Mary Magdalene & Judas: The Crucifixion and Atonement for Sin in the Early Church).

         One of the most influential lyrics that is repeated throughout the video is “Jesus is my virtue, but Judas is the demon I cling to” (Roberts, 173). We see Gaga as a modern day Mary Magdalene riding alongside Jesus while continuously looking over her shoulder to view Judas. This song embraces the shadow side that Judas represents, therefore, seeming to reject the binary of good and evil (Roberts, 173). This speaks to the stoning at the end of the video in which “Gaga as Mary Magdalene, here conflates with the woman caught in adultery of John 8” (Roberts, 173). Therefore, we see Gaga in “Judas” challenging traditional religious understandings that condemn those falling outside of this binary of good and purity (Roberts, 174).

         Musical elements that speak to a larger Christian narrative “that celebrates the innocence of the holy fool” alongside the heavier techno and dubstep (Roberts, 174). This is shown in the pop chorus “I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby, It’s so cruel but I’m still in love with Judas, baby.” Lady Gaga positions elements of light pop music alongside strong Christian messages and themes. “Judas” has permeated popular culture and has become a hit single on Gaga’s Born This Way album and utilizes biblical references in her exploration of identity, forgiveness, sin, and sexuality. However, it has brought with it a large amount of debate and controversy regarding its Christian imagery including Jesus’s portrayal, the theme of baptism, and Gaga being stoned at the end of the video. The theme of baptism in the video is shown in the appearance of St. Theodosia (Roberts, 173). As well as Gaga’s immersion in water which is reminiscent of a baptism as well as a purification.

         Lady Gaga’s “Judas” can be read as a “pop anthem to loving the wrong guy” however, it also reworks and inverts Biblical images (Lyons). In the video, she is dressed similarly to the figure of Mary Magdalene while Jesus is adorned with a golden crown of thorns (Breuel). She casts Mary Magdalene to portray an illicit and traitorous love affair between Magdalene, Jesus, and Judas (Long). She also employs these important religious figures to highlight the experience of loving someone who betrayed you. This theme also echoes in the scene where it shows Lady Gaga washing Jesus’s feet while Judas pours alcohol on Gaga’s back. Throughout this scene, we see the reemergence of this distinction between good and evil, and rebellion and conformity (A.G.S).

         One of the most influential lyrics, “In the most biblical sense, I am beyond repentance fame hooker, prostitute, wench; vomits her mind” (Breuel). Many articles suggest that this lyric functions as a critique of gendered stereotypes in Christianity (A.G.S). Gaga is reclaiming words such as “wench” and “hooker” as a source of power within patriarchal notions imposed on women’s bodies (A.G.S). This lyric also speaks to the scene in the video where she places a gun to Judas’s head but when she pulls the trigger, it ends up being lipstick (Hale). Despite Gaga knowing that Judas is cruel to her, she continues to cling to him because “she knows where salvation is found, but feels incapable of transcending her dark side” (Breuel). However, it is crucial to highlight that Gaga stays committed to Jesus throughout the video. There are several moments when Judas tries to approach Gaga but is rebuffed and by the end of the video we see Gaga repent and return to Jesus. This narrative shows, “a falling away from and return to Jesus, much like the apostle Peter on the night Jesus was betrayed” (Hale).

         Throughout the video, Lady Gaga utilizes fashion as a way to convey Christian imagery and symbolism. In one of the scenes we see Gaga dressed in a revealing biker outfit and bandana with the Sacred Heart embroidered on her shirt. The Sacred Heart is one of the most important representations of Jesus’ love of humanity (Judas Video and Religious Symbolism). The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a recurring theme in Gaga’s music videos and can also be seen in Alejandro. Lady Gaga’s blatant use of sexuality and incorporation of religious allusions has sparked controversy in audiences response to the video. Included in the video is Jesus’s crown of thorns, traditional religious headpieces, and elaborate crosses. Gaga is frequently seen wearing velvet crimson emblazoned in crosses and in over the top dresses and catsuits adding to Gaga’s overall shock value. Another less obvious form of Christian symbolism is the golden rope Gaga clutches which may be a reference to the silver cord which is “at the core concept of astral projection” (Judas Video and Religious Symbolism). This serves as a metaphor of the connection between the physical body and the soul (Judas Video and Religious Symbolism).

  Work Cited

A.G.S., Catherine. “RLG233H1, Artifact Analysis: Lady Gaga's Music Video, ‘Judas.’” Medium, Medium, 16 Nov. 2016, https://medium.com/@baroness09/artifact-analysis-lady-gagas-music-video-judas-decdb805304f.

Breuel, Rene. “Lady Gaga's Judas.” Evangelicalfocus, 15 Nov. 2019, http://evangelicalfocus.com/magazine/2641/Lady_Gaga_Judas_bible_Jesus_Rene_Breuel.

Cheng, Patrick S. “Lady Gaga And The Gospel Of Judas.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 16 July 2011, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lady-gaga-and-the-gospel-_b_862104.

Hale, Stephen. “Lady Gaga's ‘Judas’: A Surprising Statement of Faith.” Christ and Pop Culture, 23 May 2011, https://christandpopculture.com/lady-gagas-judas-a-surprising-statement-of-faith/.

“Jesus, Mary Magdalene & Judas: The Crucifixion and Atonement for Sin in the Early Church.” Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Judas: Conflicting Views of Crucifixion & Atonement in the Early Church, http://abacus.bates.edu/~rallison/TMJ/judas.html.

“Judas Video and Religious Symbolism.” JUDAS LYRICS, http://judaslyrics.com/judas-video-and-religious-symbolism/.

Lady Gaga. “Judas.” YouTube, 3 May 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wagn8Wrmzuc.

Long, Siobhán Dowling. “The Gospel According to Lady Gaga.” RTE.ie, RTÉ, 19 Apr. 2019, https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2018/0328/950660-the-gospel-according-to-lady-gaga/.  

Lyons, Margaret.“A Line-by-Line Biblical Analysis of Lady Gaga's 'Judas'.” Vulture, 20 Apr. 2011, https://www.vulture.com/2011/04/a_line-by-line_biblical_analys.html.

Roberts, S. B. Beyond the Classic: Lady Gaga and Theology in the Wild Public Sphere. International Journal of Public Theology, 11(2), (2017).163–187.

[sarkisozlerinametr-blog]

A Prayer to St. Peter - Edwin McCain

A Prayer to St. Peter – Edwin McCain

Let them in Peter, for they are very tired; Give them couches where the angels sleep and light those fires. Let them wake a whole again to brand new dawns fired by the sun not war time’s bloddy guns. And may their peace be deep Remember where the broken bodies lie — God knows how young they were to have to die! Well, God knows how young they were to have to die! Give them things they like. Let them make…

View On WordPress

#A Prayer to St. Peter akor #A Prayer to St. Peter dinle #A Prayer to St. Peter indir #A Prayer to St. Peter lyrics #A Prayer to St. Peter mp3 indir #A Prayer to St. Peter şarkı sözleri #A Prayer to St. Peter şarkı sözleri akor #A Prayer to St. Peter şarkı sözü #A Prayer to St. Peter sözleri

[apptowonder]

“Scribbling in the Sand” -- CCM and Liturgical Catechesis Pt. II: Michael Card

Go to Pt I  Go To Pt. III

So now that I’ve established a bit of context for these reflections (see Pt. I), I’d like to begin by talking about the work of Michael Card, given that he is one of the pioneers of the CCM genre and also an exemplar of the kind of catechesis I want to talk about.*

Growing up, my parents often played his music in the car on long road trips. The first word that comes to mind thinking about my early experience of his music is the word “awe”. He was able to take the lived experience of Christian faith and make it something wondrous, lofty and awe-inspiring. As an example, I’ll use the song “The Poem of Your Life”, the title track from the above album, Poiema. The instrumentation, the rhythmic energy (drawing on Celtic styles of music as he often does) and Card’s soulful voice are all part of creating a soundscape that elevates the subject matter. This is not to say that modern worship bands can’t do this with their own style, and I don’t think there’s necessarily any one aesthetic that’s “right” or “wrong”. But if nothing else this should speak to the value of incorporating more diverse instrumentation and vocal styles into CCM, as it pushes back against the homogeneity of modern worship music, and can also create a sense of sacred time much as beautiful artistry creates a sacred space. Much of this series will be discussing lyrics and the catechetical value of the words of songs themselves, but I do think it’s important to recall that musicality matters as well.

Onto the words. There’s so much I could say, but I’ll focus in on a few lines that have, in my opinion, great didactic and formative value. First, the chorus, “the pain and the longing/the joy and the moments of light/are the rhythm and rhyme/the free verse of the poem of life”. Many modern CCM songs are either all focused on happiness or else express a well-meaning but at times shallow faith that God will triumph over all adversity. Neither of these things are bad or wrong in and of themselves, but a crucial facet of the Incarnation is that God came to share our joy and our pain, and while His will and work will ultimately triumph over evil, in the interim time God is with us in our pain but does not necessarily take it away (or at least not through supernatural or miraculous means). Card’s assertion that “the poem of life” (which God writes with us as “living letters”) contains both joy and sorrow is a humbling and encouraging call to a discipleship that does not shy away from the struggles of life. Were more Protestant churches to take this mindset seriously, perhaps they would be more willing to sit in the struggles of the oppressed and the pains of their own communities.

Card is also notable for grounding pretty much all of his songwriting in deep research and meditation on Scripture. As such, his narrative songs (of which there are many) display a groundedness in the gospel narrative that almost reminds me of the narrative sensibilities of my Orthodox Christian communities. Or, to put things in their proper chronology, my early exposure to the mystery and beauty of the gospel as a child through Card’s music was likely a major factor in my being drawn to Orthodoxy as a teenager and young adult. To illustrate this, let’s examine the song, “Stranger on the Shore,” which appears both on his album “A Fragile Stone”**, and his album on the Gospel of John, “John: A Misunderstood Messiah”. The song opens with an alliterative and highly evocative setting of the scene. The apostles are fishing after hearing the news that Jesus’ body is gone (Jn. 21), and “ In the early morning mist/They saw a Stranger on the sea shore/He some how seemed familiar/Asking what the night had brought;/With taut anticipation then/They listened to His orders/And pulling in the net, found more than they had ever caught”. 

The song continues to tell the story, with Sts. Peter and John recognizing Jesus a few moments later. Moving to the chorus, Card directly invites his audience to participate in the narrative, telling us that, “You need to be confronted by the Stranger on the shore/You need to have him search your soul, you need to hear the call/You need to learn exactly what it means for you to follow/You need to understand that He’s asking for it all”. This dovetails perfectly with the final verse, where Card sings about the “painful questions that would pierce the soul of Simon,” and Jesus’ loving eyes as He gives Peter three chances to reaffirm his love in parallel to his three denials earlier. This song is an auditory icon. Like an icon, it shows us in clarity and visionary detail a narrative from the gospel. Like an icon, it is crafted with a perspective that invites the audience to enter into the story of Jesus devotionally, reverently and powerfully. The scene’s details are interwoven with the implication of the viewer into the power and purpose of the gospel. The viewer is not only moved by the pathos of the gospel scene, but is invited to a calling that is both beautiful and costly, full of love and uncertainty.

To address a practical question, it’s worth noting that narrative lyrics don’t always work in a congregational worship setting as effectively as more abstract devotional lyrics. But I do feel that Protestant churches would benefit from moments of contemplation and introspection interspersed with the congregational singing, and perhaps narrative music like this would serve well for those moments. I also feel that music is often just as effective in proclaiming the gospel as is spoken word. Like I said, these songs were really my first look into the heart of the gospel. At seminary, I have Protestant colleagues who are often very appreciative when I chant the gospel passage at our prayer gatherings, because it allows them to hear things that they might have missed before. Meditative, visionary/imaginative approaches to encountering Scripture exist in both Catholic (Ignatian prayer, lectio divina) and Orthodox (traditional iconography***, chanting of the gospel, Holy Week processions) contexts, but it seems that many low church Protestants have eschewed these approaches as “superstition”, without realizing that the gospel is much more effective when proclaimed through all the senses.

To sum up, Michael Card is committed to a Biblical and narrative approach to sacred music. He writes lovingly about both the call and cost of discipleship. He encourages his listeners to see themselves in the narrative of faith and its context. All of these things are admirable approaches to worship that any church would do well to emulate in at least some of its liturgy.

*Note: I will link to various songs throughout this series, in case people want to hear/listen to what I’m talking about

**An album dedicated to the life of St. Peter

***Not to say that Catholics don’t have iconography

#Michael Card #Scribbling in the Sand #series #theology of media #liturgy #catechesis #Johannine theology #meditation #imagination #gospel #CCM #hot takes #discipleship #St. Peter

[ucflibrary]

“Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough,   And stands about the woodland ride   Wearing white for Eastertide.   Now, of my threescore years and ten, Twenty will not come again,    And take from seventy springs a score,   It only leaves me fifty more.   

And since to look at things in bloom    Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go    To see the cherry hung with snow.” -A.E. Housman, Loveliest of Trees

 Welcome to National Poetry Month!

The Academy of American Poets, inspired by the success of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, created National Poetry Month in 1996. It is the largest literary celebration in the world and UCF Libraries are proud to do their part.

UCF Libraries have gathered suggestions to feature 14 books of poetry that are currently in the UCF collection. These works represent a wide range of favorite poetry books of our faculty and staff.

These, and additional titles, are also on the Featured Bookshelf display on the second (main) floor next to the bank of two elevators where they are joined by a selection of nature poetry.

Click on the Keep Reading link below to see the full descriptions and catalog links.

 A Shropshire Lad by A.E. Housman

Housman is a high-water mark of British lyric poetry, and this fine production captures perfectly his strong, melodic beat and decisive rhyme, and his wonderful way with words. Samuel West's cultivated Midlands accent may not be specifically Shropshire, but his voice and reading are true to Housman who was not, after all, some rough Shropshire lad himself but an Oxford don. His Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now and To an Athlete Dying Young are beautifully rendered here. West, you feel, reads poetry as it should be read confidently, with ease and conviction, as if all the world spoke in meter and rhyme.

Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 All the Poems of Stevie Smith by Stevie Smith

Stevie Smith is among the most popular British poets of the twentieth century. Her poem “Not Waving but Drowning” has been widely anthologized, and her life was celebrated in the classic 1978 movie Stevie. This new and updated edition of Stevie Smith’s collected poems includes hundreds of works from her thirty-five-year career. The Smith scholar Will May collects poems and illustrations from published volumes, provides fascinating details about their provenance, and describes the various versions Smith presented. Satirical, mischievous, teasing, disarming, Smith’s poems take readers from comedy to tragedy and back again, while her line drawings are by turns unsettling and beguiling.

Suggested by Rachel Edford, Teaching & Engagement

 Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar

This highly-anticipated debut boldly confronts addiction and courses the strenuous path of recovery, beginning in the wilds of the mind. Poems confront craving, control, the constant battle of alcoholism and sobriety, and the questioning of the self and its instincts within the context of this never-ending fight.

Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

 Dirt Eaters by Teri Youmans Grimm

The book was born of the consequences of leaving a place and family steeped in the history and traditions of the South. The poet, having moved to the Midwest, has become a sort of expatriate in her father's eyes, and she herself has underestimated the hold that home would have over her. These poems are a mystical journey back through her ancestry. The dead serve as conjurers and characters both real and mythologized throughout the collection--Uncle Seward, who uses dice and the Bible as a means of prophecy; blind Aunt Ater, who finds solace and doom in biblical numbers; an unlucky man facing certain death as he stands on an alligator's back; and women who gorge themselves on dirt--all find their way back to life in these poems. Dirt Eaters seeks grace in the unlikeliest of people and places. Bound up with the peculiar, however, is the poet's own desire to reconcile the handed-down shame and faulty pride within herself as well as the religion of the ecstatic within her own quiet questioning.

Suggested by Rebecca Hawk, Circulation

 Enough Rope by Dorothy Parker

Suggested by Jamie LaMoreaux, Acquisitions & Collections

 New & Selected Poems by Stephen Dunn

Stephen Dunn is justly celebrated as one of the strongest poets of his generation. Now in this rich gathering, he selects from his eight collections and includes sixteen new poems marked by the haunting "Snowmass Cycle". The heralded clarity and intelligence of Dunn's poems are in full evidence here, as is his ability to charm and evoke pathos. As ever, wit happily resides with seriousness, affirmation coexists with hardship. "I want to find the cool, precise language / for how passion gives rise to passion," Dunn says in one of the new poems. For two decades, such insistence has led him to a wise lucidity that places him among our consequential poets.

Suggested by Rebecca Hawk, Circulation

 Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay

One of America's best-loved poets, Edna St Vincent Millay (1892-1950) burst onto the literary scene at a very young age and won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923. Her lyrics and sonnets have thrilled generations of readers long after the notoriously bohemian lifestyle she led in Greenwich Village in the 1920s ceased to shock them.

Suggested by Jamie LaMoreaux, Acquisitions & Collections

 Poems: North & South, a cold spring by Elizabeth Bishop

Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and writer from Worcester, Massachusetts. She was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1956. and a National Book Award Winner for Poetry in 1970. She is considered one of the most important and distinguished American poets of the 20th century.

Suggested by Rachel Edford, Teaching & Engagement

 Selected Poetry of Ogden Nash: 650 rhymes, verses, lyrics, and poems by Ogden Nash

Gathers poems on a variety of subjects including love, marriage, parenthood, modern life, animals, aging, travel, work, and food.

Suggested by Rachel Edford, Teaching & Engagement & Jamie LaMoreaux, Acquisitions & Collections

 The 100 Best Poems of All Time edited by Leslie Pockell

This poetry companion puts favourite poetry and poets from around the world at your fingertips, enabling you to revisit the classics, encounter unfamiliar masterworks and rediscover old favourites.

Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

 The Golden Shovel Anthology: new poems honoring Gwendolyn Brooks edited by Peter Kahn, Ravi Shankar, and Patricia Smith

The last words of each line in a Golden Shovel poem are, in order, words from a line or lines taken from a Brooks poem. The poems are, in a way, secretly encoded to enable both a horizontal reading of the new poem and vertical reading down the right-hand margin of Brooks's original. An array of writers, including Pulitzer Prize winners, T. S. Eliot Prize winners, National Book Award winners, and National Poet Laureates, have written poems for this anthology: Rita Dove, Billy Collins, Nikki Giovani, Sharon Olds, Tracy K. Smith, Mark Doty, Sharon Draper, and Julia Glass are just a few of the contributing poets.

Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 The Heart Aroused: poetry and the preservation of the soul in corporate America by David Whyte

In The Heart Aroused, David Whyte brings his unique perspective as poet and consultant to the workplace, showing readers how fulfilling work can be when they face their fears and follow their dreams. Going beneath the surface concerns about products and profits, organization and order, Whyte addresses the needs of the heart and soul, and the fears and desires that many workers keep hidden.

Suggested by Rebecca Hawk, Circulation

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, Xiomara Batista has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. She pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers--especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. Mami is determined to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, and Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. When she is invited to join her school's slam poetry club, she can't stop thinking about performing her poems.

Suggested by Emma Gisclair, Curriculum Materials Center

 The Poetry of Arab Women: a contemporary anthology edited by Nathalie Handal

Arab women poets work within one of the oldest literary traditions in the world, yet they are virtually unknown in the West. Uniting Arab women poets from the all over the Arab World anti abroad, Nathalie Handal has put together an outstanding collection that introduces poets who write in Arabic, French, English, and Swedish, among them some of the twentieth century's most accomplished poets and today's most exciting new voices. Translated by distinguished translators and poets from around the world, The Poetry of Arab Women showcases the work of 82 poets, among them: Etel Adnan, Andre Chedid, Salma Khadra Jayyusi, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Fadwa Tuqan.

Suggested by Christina Wray, Teaching & Engagement

 The Rain in Portugal by Billy Collins

The Rain in Portugal—a title that admits he’s not much of a rhymer—sheds Collins’s ironic light on such subjects as travel and art, cats and dogs, loneliness and love, beauty and death. A student of the everyday, Collins here contemplates a weather vane, a still life painting, the calendar, and a child lost at a beach. His imaginative fabrications have Shakespeare flying comfortably in first class and Keith Richards supporting the globe on his head. By turns entertaining, engaging, and enlightening, The Rain in Portugal amounts to another chorus of poems from one of the most respected and familiar voices in the world of American poetry.

Suggested by Larry Cooperman, Research & Information Services

#ucflibrary #national poetry month #poetry #book suggestions

[thesinglesjukebox]

LAURA JEAN - GIRLS ON THE TV [8.27] Melbourne singer goes back to high school, discovers synths...

Jonathan Bradley: Laura Jean's self-titled album, her fourth -- it is now four years old -- is a skeletal folk record: it sounds like an Australia I don't often hear in pop song or mass media. It draws wintry charcoal sketches of Melbourne city parks and lonely stretches of national highways. The gothic domesticity acted like blotting paper, pressing against the natural rhythms of life and recording them in irrupted detail. Against this backdrop, "Girls on the TV" is a new single awash with astonishing colour: pastel synth swirls and a disco bass pulse pushing through the mix. Removed from context, this pop impulse might not be so unexpected, but I hear in Jean's airy, wavering tones an artist reinventing herself as the introspective rejoinder to the vivant throwback fervor of Betty Who or Catcall. And yet even in this new guise, Jean's bleak folk endures, with an anecdotal lyric that carefully and precisely narrates the drawn-out process of a girlhood destroyed. Ricky, who can "dance like the girls on the TV," is a childhood friend whose joy in the physical possibilities of her body is commodified and contaminated: by demanding teachers who ask her to perform feats she cannot, by cruel classmates who tease her for her weight, and by adult men who make sexual demands upon her. "Girls on the TV" is a sad song of youth that is made sadder by how keenly aware it is of the libertine and evanescent possibilities of the pop it embraces. [9]

Rebecca A. Gowns: "Girls on the TV" falls into that tricky vein of narrative pop songs; telling a full story can be hard to pull off without coming across as maudlin or pretentious or just clunky, but Laura Jean executes it perfectly. It's a story about a woman extending compassion to her sister -- or friend, or possibly even an old lover/crush -- but it tugs at me the most when I think of them as siblings. It's got to be, right? This kind of bittersweet, constant reminiscing reminds me of the pangs I get when I think about my little brother. We grew up so close. We're so different today. We keep reaching out to each other, grasping each other's hands through gaps in a wall that keeps building then falling down then building up again. But every time I see him, no matter the year, no matter the occasion, I'll think of the way we danced when we were kids, singing along to music videos, pulling faces, promising each other we'd be in a band together someday. "Someday" -- and then time flies, and people change -- but the memory remains. This is that feeling in a crystal bottle. [10]

Will Adams: "Girls on the TV" plays like a memory you visit while idly passing the time. The vault you access in your mind safe and warm, bordered by storybook clouds and soundtracked by dreamy synthpop. But, as always, the details that pierce through the most are the ones you want to remember the least: authority figures pressuring you to overexert yourself; peers excavating your every flaw and parading them about; parents imposing their austere lifestyle on you; abusers reducing you to a vessel for their pleasure; the eventual realization that everyone around you has moved forward, gotten hitched, settled down, while you remain stuck in place, feet swamped with the mud of an unkind youth. But those dancing girls are still there, as is the lingering promise that, one day, you could be one of them too. [7]

Katherine St Asaph: A tale of dashed female friendship akin to Who Will Run the Frog Hospital or Cat's Eye; what it loses in prose it gains in a kaleidoscopic, wistful arrangement. It fills its six minutes well; like memory itself, it's alternatingly immediate and almost photorealistic (that one deep synth around 0:30), then languid and ungraspable. [9]

Alfred Soto: The rare single whose insistence on taking its time pays off, "Girls on the TV" sparkles like distant stars, its synthesizers a platform instead of hoping to get noticed. The pace and arrangement suits Laura Jean's remarkable performance: a damaged meditation on loving someone you can see and hear but can't touch and all the better for it -- "Space Age Love Song" and "TVC 15" without the spritz. "She could always dance better than me," Jean repeats: a statement of fact, mild complaint, and prayer. [9]

Vikram Joseph: A languorously paced, well-written coming-of-age story about female friendship and crushed dreams. The airy, breathy pre-chorus is a particularly good showcase for Laura Jean's vocals. It's unlikely to get the blood racing -- sonically, it's undeniably a bit adult contemporary -- but it owns the middle of the road better than 95 per cent of the stuff you'd hear on drive-time radio. [7]

Julian Axelrod: An immersive, deeply felt meditation on ambition and destiny, sung with the resignation of a woman long since disillusioned with both. The longer I sit with it, the more its faults feel like strengths: Its leisurely runtime reflects time's slow and relentless march, while its dourness finds balance in its faint glimmers of hope. After living within it for a week, it already feels like I've carried this story with me my entire life. [9]

Peter Ryan: The languid quality is perfect misdirection, masking what's going on until the chords break open at the chorus. What emerges is an unflinching sketch of a web connecting childhood pain, coping attempts, and "contemporary adult life." There's no glib gesturing toward resilience, and instead of pity or judgment I hear an indictment of actual and would-be tormentors. Laura Jean brings a sibling's testimony, one that doesn't seek to bridge the gulf between shared upbringing and shared experience, and is all the more potent for it. The wrapping is more chiffon than velvet, but underneath is still an iron fist. [9]

Jonathan Bogart: A folkie's idea of dance music, muted and unflustered, with warm electric bass and polyrhythms played by actual hands rather than programming. Sweet, certainly, and the lyrics' sketch of childhood and adolescent friendship are well-observed and touching without being sentimental. Which is the trouble: the whole production is an exercise in keeping vulgarity, of which sentimentality is one expression, and actual dance music that makes you sweat another, at arm's length. [6]

Alex Clifton: Like if Belle & Sebastian's "Expectations" was twice as long with more disco. Laura Jean has the same gifts for both character and melody Stuart Murdoch has. The dreamy backing helps it go by as quickly as my teenage years did, and her falsetto for the chorus haunts the rest of the song like a memory. It's steeped in nostalgia, but is there any other way to write about adolescence? [7]

William John: Like half the Internet, I've been preoccupied with Hannah Gadsby's Nanette for the past few weeks: a subversive, quasi-TED Talk comedy special that blew my mind when I first saw it in a theatre late last year. Now on Netflix, Nanette is hard to distill succinctly, but central to its significance is its blunt presentation of the devastation rapacious men can effect on others. That devastation lingers in those victims and continues to humiliate them for years -- decades, even -- afterward. In "Girls on the TV", fellow Australian woman Laura Jean presents an unvarnished picture of friend Ricky, a bullied, vulnerable, talented tap dancer, and reminisces wistfully upon the relationship they formed as members of the high school concert band. In the fourth verse, a new character is introduced -- Jean's mother's boyfriend, a violent, young, and predatory 21 year old. In a line excised from the video edit of the song, Jean notes that after Ricky's encounter with this man, she felt like she "didn't know her, or how she got that way"; there is no explicit cause-and-effect drawn, but the implication for the listener is that this incident had extensive ramifications for Ricky, that included cocaine addiction and relationships with married men. It's a sad story that demonstrates the way the action of a third party can destabilise and dismantle a friendship, but it's told with a compelling breathiness by Jean that seems to gather more and more momentum with each passing second. I'm unaccustomed to hearing such brusque, direct, and yet tender third-person storytelling in modern synth-pop. The importance of storytelling is central to Gadsby's Nanette -- stories "hold our cure," she says, and have the power to forge connection. Jean's memories of sitting in front of rage on a Saturday morning when young serve as an access point into an important story that deserved to be recounted. [9]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#laura jean #pop #pop music #music #music video #music writing #music reviews #australian music #new music

[gaymusicchart]

GAY MUSIC CHART - 2018 week 35

 Thanks to all the candidates to help us to make Gay Music Chart in the futur. We will contact you this week to see if you are still interested  to collaborate with us. We will respond you next your previous message on Gay Music Chart week 28 or by email when we've got it.

 Welcome to the Gay Music Chart, the LGBTQA related music videos TOP 50 actuality and most request.

Vote for your favourite LGBTQA related music videos by leaving a comment for this post on :

YOUTUBE (in the comment section of the video of the week) : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz7yfp-xq-b08tD6mAWwclA

BLOGGER : http://gaymusicchart.blogspot.fr

FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/GayMusicChart/

TWITTER : https://twitter.com/GayMusicChart with #GayMusicChart  

TUMBLR : http://gaymusicchart.tumblr.com  

 Here is the recap for this week :

 OUT : Madblush – Homophobic (LW: 16 / WO: 4 / PEAK: 12)

OUT : Troye Sivan - Bloom (LW: 34 / WO: 16 / PEAK: 01 (x5))

OUT : Kim Petras - Heart to Break (LW: 37 / WO: 20 / PEAK: 02)

OUT : Jake Shears - "Big Bushy Mustache" (LW: 39 / WO: 1 / PEAK: 39)

OUT : はるな愛 Ai Haruna -「BONダンス」(LW: 40 / WO: 1 / PEAK: 40)

OUT : Big Freedia feat. Lizzo - "Karaoke" (LW: 41 / WO: 1 / PEAK: 41)

OUT : Hercules & Love Affair feat. Mashrou' Leila - Are You Still Certain (LW: 42 / WO: 3 / PEAK: 38)

OUT : The Aces - "Last One" (LW: 46 / WO: 2 / PEAK: 45)

OUT : Ryan Beatty - "Haircut" (LW: 47 / WO: 2 / PEAK: 47)

OUT : King Princess - "Holy" (LW: 48 / WO: 2 / PEAK: 44)

OUT : Ryan Beatty - "Powerslide" (LW: 49 / WO: 1 / PEAK: 49)

  01 (+ 4) : Years & Years - If You're Over Me (LW: 05 / WO: 15 / PEAK: 01 (x1))

UK - 2018 / from the album "Palo Santo"

 02 (=) : Troye Sivan feat. Ariana Grande - Dance To This (LW: 02 / WO: 10 / PEAK: 02)

Australia / USA – 2018 / from the album 2018 "Bloom"

 03 (+ 5) : Cher - "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" [Audio] (LW: 08 / WO: 2 / PEAK: 03)

USA - 2018 / from the album "Dancing Queen"

An ABBA revival, thanks to "Mama Mia 2".

 04 (- 3) : P!nk - "Secrets" (LW: 01 / WO: 4 / PEAK: 01 (x2))

USA - 2018 / from the album "Beautiful Trauma"

 05 (- 1) : Years & Years - All For You (PSEN Televisual Exclusive) (LW: 04 / WO: 7 / PEAK: 01 (x1))

UK - 2018 / from the album "Palo Santo"

 06 (=) : THE TRIPLETZ - "You Better Fucking Dance" (LW: 06 / WO: 4 / PEAK: 06)

Spain - 2018

"Better fuck with them boys

Better fuck with them girls

Better fuck with them both

Who fuckin cares?"

 07 (+ 3) : Sandro Cavazza, P3GI-13 - High With Somebody (LW: 10 / WO: 10 / PEAK: 07)

Sweden - 2018

A sweet song and a music video which shows bisexuality.

 08 (- 1) : Lizzo - Boys (LW: 07 / WO: 9 / PEAK: 01 (x2))

USA - 2018

 09 (+ 4) : Sam Bluer - "Body High" (LW: 13 / WO: 3 / PEAK: 09)

Australia - 2018

This is his debut music video. A revelation.

 10 (+ 10) : Peter Wilson & Sean Smith - "Verona" (LW: 20 / WO: 2 / PEAK: 10)

UK - 2018 / from the album "The Passion and The Flame"

This awesome cover of the 2017's Estonian Eurovision track from Koit Toome and Laura is produced by Matt Pop.

 11 (- 8) : Adore Delano - 27 Club (LW: 03 / WO: 8 / PEAK: 01 (x2))

USA - 2018 / from the album "Whatever"

 12 (+ 7) : Cheat Codes, Little Mix - Only You (LW: 19 / WO: 6 / PEAK: 12)

USA / UK - 2018

This music video shows a lesbian love at first sight between a mermaid and a woman.

 13 (+ 9) : Troye Sivan - "Animal" (LW: 22 / WO: 2 / PEAK: 13)

Australia - 2018 / from the album "Bloom"

 14 (- 5) : Not.Your.Regular.Boy. - Get Down Make Love (LW: 09 / WO: 10 / PEAK: 09)

The Netherlands - 2018

 15 (+ 3) : Tiago Braga - Ilusão (LW: 18 / WO: 14 / PEAK: 06)

Portugal - 2018

A story of infidelity.

 16 (NEW) : Calvin Harris, Sam Smith - "Promises" (Lyric Video) (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 16)

UK - 2018

 17 (NEW) : Kylie Minogue - "A Lifetime to Repair" (Lyric Video) (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 17)

Australia - 2018 / from the album "Golden"

 18 (- 6) : MNEK feat. Hailee Steinfeld - Colour (LW: 12 / WO: 8 / PEAK: 05)

UK - 2018

 19 (- 8) : LOBODA - "SuperSTAR" (LW: 11 / WO: 1 / PEAK: 19)

Ukraine - 2018

The music video is rated 18+ in Ukraine because of the two gay and the lesbian kisses.

 20 (NEW) : Man Meadow - "Play It Loud" (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 20)

Sweden - 2018

 21 (- 6) : Panic! At The Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It (LW: 15 / WO: 7 / PEAK: 07)

USA - 2018

Brendon Urie comes out as pansexual. The funny music and his puppet illustrates that fact.

 22 (+ 3) : Blair St. Clair - Call My Life (LW: 25 / WO: 8 / PEAK: 13)

USA - 2018 / from the album "Call My Life"

 23 (NEW) : Pabllo Vittar - "Problema Seu" (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 23)

Brazil - 2018

 24 (- 10) : Eureka O'Hara - The Big Girl (LW: 14 / WO: 7 / PEAK: 04)

USA - 2018

This is the first single of the drag queen who was runner up in RuPaul's Drag Race season 10.

 25 (NEW) : Madonna - MET Gala 2018 (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 25)

USA - 2018

Madonna performs 'Like A Prayer', 'Beautiful Game' and 'Hallelujah' at the 2018 MET Gala in New York.

 26 (+ 6) : Vini Uehara - "Perigo" (LW: 32 / WO: 3 / PEAK: 26)

Brazil - 2018 / from the album "Hear Me Now"

The fashion designer, Youtuber and singer comes out of the closet as gay with this music video.

 27 (NEW) : LP - "Girls Go Wild" (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 27)

USA - 2018

 28 (NEW) : Chris(tine and the Queens) - "5 dollars" (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 28)

France - 2018 / from the album "Chris"

 29 (- 1) : Blonde feat. Bryn Christopher - Me, Myself & I (LW: 28 / WO: 6 / PEAK: 27)

UK - 2018

 30 (- 13) : BeBe Zahara Benet - Jungle Kitty (LW: 17 / WO: 12 / PEAK: 07)

USA - 2018

 31 (- 1) : Years & Years - Palo Santo (Live - Vevo x Years & Years) (LW: 30 / WO: 8 / PEAK: 28)

UK - 2018 - from the album "Palo Santo"

 32 (- 6) : CARSON - "Good Love" (LW: 26 / WO: 3 / PEAK: 26)

USA - 2018

The debut music video of Carson Rammelt has been promoted on Billboard Pride's July 2018 Playlist.

 33 (- 2) : Mint Julep - The Promise ("Alex Strangelove" OST) (LW: 31 / WO: 6 / PEAK: 22)

USA - 2018

"Alex Strangelove" is a gay coming of age movie from Nexflix.

 34 (+ 4) : AB Soto - "No More 2 Say" (LW: 38 / WO: 2 / PEAK: 34)

USA - 2018 / from the album "Visibility, Part.1"

 35 (+ 1) : Nacha La Macha - Eres Cobarde (LW: 36 / WO: 6 / PEAK: 11)

Spain - 2018

 36 (- 15) : Smashby - "Someone" (LW: 21 / WO: 2 / PEAK: 21)

UK - 2018 / from the EP "Wild One"

 37 (- 4) : Bruno Gadiol, Gabriel Nandes - Seu Costume (LW: 33 / WO: 8 / PEAK: 17)

Brazil - 2018

The 20 years old singer has been revealed in The Voice Brasil in 2016. He comes out as gay with this music video.

 38 (+ 12) : Davi - "Tenho Você" (LW: 50 / WO: 3 / PEAK: 38)

Brazil - 2018

This is the first single in solo of the member of Banda Uó.

 39 (- 16) : Sharon Needles - "666" (LW: 23 / WO: 4 / PEAK: 17)

USA - 2018 / from the album "Battle Axe"

 40 (NEW) : LVRK - "Heart to Heart" (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 40)

Sweden - 2018

 41 (NEW) : Kiesza feat. Philippe Sly - "Phantom Of The Dance Floor" (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 41)

Canada - 2018

 42 (- 15) : Panic! At The Disco - Say Amen (Saturday Night) (LW: 27 / WO: 6 / PEAK: 18)

USA - 2018 / from the album "Pray For The Wicked"

 43 (NEW) : Seeb, Dagny - "Drink About" (LW: - / WO: 1 / PEAK: 43)

Norway - 2018

 44 (- 15) : Not.Your.Regular.Boy. - Crazyland (LW: 29 / WO: 18 / PEAK: 03)

The Netherlands - 2018

Revealed on X-Factor and the Voice, this is his debut single.

 45 (- 10) : Brandon Stansell - "For You" (LW: 35 / WO: 4 / PEAK: 22)

USA - 2018

A sweet love triangle story.

 46 (RE-ENTRY) : Steve Grand - Don't Let The Light In (LW: - / WO: 2 / PEAK: 36)

USA - 2018 / from the album "Not The End of Me"

The music video is a collection of his childhood and concerts footage.

 47 (- 23) : Monét X Change feat. Bob The Drag Queen - Soak It Up (LW: 24 / WO: 12 / PEAK: 08)

USA - 2018

The drag queen was voted Miss Congeniality of the 2018 edition of RuPaul's Drag Race.

 48 (- 5) : 星屑スキャット Hoshikuzu Scat - 「半蔵門シェリ」 "Hanzo Mon Chérie" (LW: 43 / WO: 2 / PEAK: 43)

Japan - 2017 / from the EP "Hanzo Mon Cherie"

We're in love with the first music video of this trio, composed with drag queens Mitz, Meili and Kazue!

 49 (- 5) : Renato - "Cruel Summer" (LW: 44 / WO: 4 / PEAK: 27)

Czech Republic - 2018

 50 (- 5) : FRANKIE x Scott Hoying feat. One Night - Ghost (LW: 45 / WO: 10 / PEAK: 14)

USA - 2018

The music video is an interesting queer remake of Grease.

  ALSO NEW THIS WEEK

 John Duff - "Girly"

USA - 2018

The singer plays Mariah Carey, Madonna, Britney Spears and Beyoncé. Drag queen Bianca Del Rio, Willam Belli and Mariah Balenciaga are also featuring in this music video.

 Josh Wood - "Radio (You and I)"

USA - 2018

 Alaska & Jeremy - "Aliens"

USA - 2018 / from the album "Amethyst Journey"

 Imagine Dragons - "Natural"

USA - 2018

 Cher - "SOS" (Audio)

USA - 2018

 Magnus Carlsson - "Slow Motion"

Sweden - 2018

 Kim Petras - "All The Time" (Audio)

Germany - 2018

 Thalles - "Just When We Were High"

Brazil - 2018 / from the album "Utopia"

 Ivri Lider עברי לידר - "The Prom / הנשף"

Israel - 2018

 ALVIN - "Oui, Papa"

France - 2018

After "Il a dit", this is the new music video of the French singer Alvin Point.

 Villagers - "Fool"

Ireland - 2018 / from the album "The Art of Pretending to Swim"

 HANDSOME - "No Cowards"

Australia - 2018 / from the EP "No Hat No Play"

 Union J feat. Ironik - "Dancing"

UK - 2018

 anaïs feat. Olly Alexander - "No control"

UK - 2018

 NORAZO (노라조) - "CIDER" (사이다)

South Korea - 2018

 Nigel Andrews - "Ik doe mijn eigen ding"

The Netherlands - 2018

  See you next week and don’t forget to vote for your best LGBTQA music videos ! Here are the rules :

1 ) You can vote for many videos as you want under the videos on YouTube in the comment section. It could be recent or past music videos, which must provide at least one among the following conditions:

- the music video has LGBTQA related content, in the lyrics or the music video

- the artist is LGBTQA, an LGBTQA icon or eventually ally

- LGBTQA medias talked about it.

2 ) You can’t vote more than 3 songs of a same artist per week.

3 ) In case of an artist who receive votes mostly by a fan base, we will count only one song, in a limited time of 4 weeks of presence in the top.

4 ) You can vote with only one account.

5 ) If you make 5 votes or less, your first vote will represent 5 points, your second vote 4 points, etc… until your last vote and following 1 point. If you make 6 to 10 votes, your first vote will represent 10 points, your second vote 9 points, etc… If you make more than 10 votes, your first vote will represent 20 points, your second vote 19 points, etc…

6 ) People who make 1 to 5 votes form the amateur ranking, those who make 6 to 10 votes form the fan ranking, those who make more than 10 votes form the expert ranking. We form the jury ranking (but this one is for the moment suspended as experimentation). And we count now the ranking of minutes of views of our weekly playlist of the previous week. The Gay Music Chart is the addition of the five charts. In case of equality, the number of votes and the dates of votes will count.

7 ) The votes will close on Thursday, 8 PM, European time.

#gay music chart #top lbgt #2018 week 35

[lightamidstthestorm]

how He called me for the first time

For some reason that’s probably beyond me, I’ve been telling myself the story of my Faith for a few days now. I don’t know if there’s a reason behind it, if God wants me to talk about it for some reason - but I feel called to write about it and post it here. I’m learning not to question what I think might be His plan, so here we go. Part 1.

This is a very long account on how I felt Jesus calling me for the first time ever. Excuse any grammar mistakes - I’m too lazy to go and check whatever I just wrote.

I was raised Catholic, going to a Catholic school since the age of 5. I grew up hearing about God, about Jesus. I took the first Communion at... 8? 9? and went to Mass once or twice a year, at school.

I’m torn on how I felt about God, though. On one hand, I remember feeling like I believed more than my classmates, and on the other, I also know I already (from the age of 13 or 14 I guess?) had problems with the Church, saying things like why is the Vatican so rich if Jesus tells us to sell our stuff - and if people are literally starving? 

He started showing Himself more to me at 15. V randomly I see now, a woman I knew recommended me a book about angels, by a catholic author from my country. I read it - and read the other 15 books he had, because I was marveled. I learnt so much there - about angels at first, but then about Christianity, about Jesus, about miracles, and so on. 

That same year, a group of actors that belonged to a Movement in the Catholic church (”The Movement of the Word of God”) came to perform to our school, and they went classroom by classroom inviting us to join them, acting or helping put together the play. I remember I wrote my name down but never actually showed up. After the play happened, though, and for reasons I don’t understand now since I was even more socially awkward then than I am now, I did join them. I don’t remember if I liked the play that much or what, but I conviced a friend to go with me and go to one of their meetings.

They were a group of 20 young people that got together on mondays to practise (they were doing the life of St. Francis at the time), and everything was very chill and relaxed - it was just a group of friends. There was praying at the end and the beginning of the meetings - my first actual praying experience beyond reciting the Lord’s Prayer every morning.

I felt good there. It felt nice to be surrouded by people that believed in God too, people who talked about him. I remember at the end of every meeting, we’d sit in a circle to talk about what we’d done, what we’d learnt and what we thought God was trying to show us, and then pray - and I couldn’t shake the image of Jesus sitting down cross-legged in the middle of that circle (”where two or three gather in my name there am I with them”).

Half a year later, Easter came, and me and the other guys from my school that had also joined the group were invited to the Easter retreat the Movement organized. It’s basically an  retreat during Holy Week, that anyone can take part in - and not an overnight thing, so we’d go home after each day and come back early the next day.

It was crazy.

I remember before the day came I asked one guy at the group what it was like, what we’d do. He simply said “you’ll get close to Jesus”. And boy, was he right.

I was only going to take part in the first day, Thursday, because I volunteered at two dog shelters at the time and was going to visit them on Friday and Saturday. As soon as Thursday finished I knew there was no way I wasn’t gonna be there for the rest of it.

It literally began with a... sermon? centered around when Jesus called Peter. “Follow me and i will make you fishers of men.” “ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him “ I instantly felt He was talking to me, and thus decided to dith everything I had planned for that weekend and stay there. 

That night, I had a weird dream that I was in the church (the retreat took place in a school that’s connected to a huge church, to which of course we had access to) - but I guess I was half awake, because I remember being aware of the fact that I was laying down and thinking “I can’t sleep here” - and I’d sit up in my bed. Then of course I’d feel really tired because it was in fact like 3am lol and I’d lay back again - only to sit up again and keep praying. It was very, very vivid - so imagine our surprise when, on that second day of retreat, a girl that had joined the acting group almost at the same time as me and who I had became friends with told me she’d had the same dream. An older member of the Movement told us he thought it might be we felt so comfortable at that church we somehow came back - and I do feel it can be the case.

Anyways, Friday. The Cross.

It was absolutely crazy and wonderful.

As I said, I grew up hearing about Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus loves us, Jesus died for our sins. 

But noone actually bothered in explaining why or how. I loved Jesus, and I didn’t question anything, but now I realize I had no idea of anything regarding him - how did the death of a guy 2000 years ago save me? What did it have to do with my sins?

Well, the “sermon” that day basically explained that to me, and I remember everything made sense for the first time. We talked about the Cross, about our personal crosses, and it was overally amazing. Of course, with the understanding of the Cross began the realization that an actual person had gone through all that calvary because of me. Someone loved me enough to be crucified for me. It was an epiphany.

After each sermon, we’d pray - and in that group prayer, we sang a song that literally changed my life. It’s name in English would be “Nobody loves you like I do” and you guessed it, it’s like it was sung by Jesus. The lyrics are beautiful and I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure that Jesus was talking to me. (I’m tearing up just remembering it). The full song is here but it begins with “How much I've waited for this moment; how much I've waited for you to be like this; how much I've waited for you to talk to me; how much I've waited for you to come to me”. Keep in mind I had just understood how much he truly loves me and how real he was like fifteen minutes before - and you can probably get an idea of how I felt in that moment. 

After each “sermon” and group prayer we’d have half an hour to go meditate and pray on our own, and I’d always choose to go to the church. That time, I remember looking at the Cross and just thinking that’s an actual thing that happened, that’s a real human being that went through all that pain for me and man, it was crazy.

That same Friday, during luch, someone told me I should watch the Passion. I say I didn’t want to, because I’d never been able to. Still, that night, I decided to sit down at my computer and try - and I remember as soon as it started I thought “oh, wouldn’t it be nice if they were showing this on TV so I could watch it in a bigger screen”.

Guess what happened next. Yeah, I stood up, turned on the TV and found the movie at almost the exact part I’d paused it. I guess He did want me to see it, with these new eyes I’d just gotten.

Saturday was more chill than Friday, there was this cheerful mood around because we were all waiting for the Resurrection!! and it was also the day where He confirmed me he wanted me to ditch everything and follow him.

Thing is, this Movement has a “system” of communities - praying groups that get together once a week to pray and to receive... I guess you can call them sermons? Cathechism lessons? The idea is to walk your Faith with others and learn more about it. There’s “levels”, and the Initiation 1 group is open until Pentecost, then it closes and the community or group that was formed stays like that until... well, forever, if you don’t choose to leave.

By then, I was considering the idea of joining it. But the meetings were on Saturdays, and Saturdays were the only day I could go to this dog shelter - something I’d been doing for more than four years at the time. Joining the group meant letting go of that. 

After the “sermon”, and when we had our private praying moment, I asked Him what to do. I asked if I He wanted that for me, to join that group. I asked Him for a sign, because I didn’t know what to do.

I finished my prayer and went downstairs to join everyone for lunch.

Immediately after we said Grace, and before I could even start eating - the same guy from the theater group that had told me I’d “get closer to Jesus” randomly approached me and said “come with me for a second, I have something for you.” He led me to the room where his community got together for the sermons and activities, took a brand new notebook out of his backpack and giving it to me, said “this is for you to write down and record your ‘process’” (process was a word we’d use when talking about our walking with Jesus - that’s the best way I can explain it).

There we go, there’s your sign.

I wasn’t particularly close to this guy. I was still new to the group, he quite older than me and we’d probably talked four times altogether - and yet he felt like getting a notebook, decorating it with some Bible verses and giving it to me.

That’s how it started for me. That’s how I first heard Him call me.

I still failed Him, and He had to call me twice more, but those are stories I’m gonna write about later.

#jesus #god #christianity #faith #christian testimony #wow only now im realizing that crazy friday must have been the moment i accepted him as my savior #wow #djfkdjfkdf #i've no idea why im posting this!! or writing it!!!! #i hope it can somehow help someone #i dont wanna be extra #i just #feel like doing it

[glittergummicandypeach]

What religion is Dylan now?

It has only been four days since the release of Bob Dylan's first album of original songs in eight years -- "Rough and Rowdy Ways."

In those few days, several of its songs -- most notably, "I Contain Multitudes" and "Mother of Muses" -- have become ear worms. They have taken up permanent residence within my brain.

That is how good this album is -- Dylan's 39th studio album, coming out right after his 79th birthday.

I shall let certified Dylanologists analyze the lyrics on the new Dylan album with the appropriate depth

I have only one question.

What religion is Dylan, now?

Speaking of his life, decades ago, Dylan said: "My past is so complicated you wouldn't believe it, man."

Not really. He was Robert Zimmerman, born in Duluth, Minnesota, and spending his childhood in Hibbing, Minnesota.

Bobby Zimmerman became bar mitzvah in Hibbing's small shul. His father, Abe, was the president of the local Bnai Brith lodge. His mother, Beatty, was the president of the local Hadassah chapter. He attended Camp Herzl. At the University of Minnesota, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu, a nominally Jewish fraternity. 

At certain points in his life, he all but denied being Jewish -- pretending to be Woody Guthrie; saying that he had been an itinerant blues singer.

But, dos pintele yid, that Jewish spark, just kept on coming back. He sang "Talkin' Havah Nagilah Blues," and said that it was a "foreign song I learned in Utah." He recorded numerous songs with Jewish references and biblical motifs -- all of which have been analyzed beyond imagination.

Dylan embraced evangelical Christianity, recording several albums of songs with Christian-influenced lyrics.

He returned to Judaism. Check out this video of Dylan, his son-in-law, musician and observant Jew, Peter Himmelman, and the late Harry Dean Stanton at a Chabad telethon!  He visited Israel on several occasions. He recorded "Neighborhood Bully," rock music's most Zionist song.

So, yes: for someone whose religious identity has been "like a rolling stone," it is fair to listen to the new album, and ask: What religion is Dylan, now?

Is Dylan, once again, a Christian?

Consider the macabre song "My Own Version of You," with references to Saint John, the author of the fourth Gospel, and, Jewishly-speaking, the most problematic; Saint Peter, one of the founders of Christianity,  and Saint Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin.

I'm gon' make you play the piano like Leon Russell

Like Liberace, like St. John the Apostle

I'll play every number that I can play

I'll see you maybe on Judgment Day

After midnight, if you still wanna meet

I'll be in Black Horse Tavern on Armageddon Street

Two doors down, not that far a walk

I'll hear your footsteps, you won't have to knock

I'll bring someone to life, balance the scales

I'm not gonna get involved in any insignificant details...

You can bring it to St. Peter

You can bring it to Jerome

You can bring it all the way over

Bring it all the way home.

True: Leon Russell played a mean piano. So did Liberace.

But, Saint John the Apostle? Unless Dylan needed a rhyme for Russell? Judgement Day -- clearly Christian.

If I had the wings of a snow white dove

I'd preach the gospel, the gospel of love

A love so real, a love so true

I've made up my mind to give myself to you.

And finally, "Goodbye Jimmy Reed," which refers to the influential American blues musician and songwriter.

I live on a street named after a Saint

Women in the churches wear powder and paint

Where the Jews, and Catholics, and the Muslims all pray

I can tell they're Proddie from a mile away

Goodbye Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Reed indeed

Give me that old time religion, it's just what I need.

For thine is kingdom, the power, the glory

Go tell it on the mountain, go tell the real story

Tell it in that straightforward, puritanical tone

In the mystic hours when a person's alone

Goodbye Jimmy Reed, godspeed

Thump on the Bible, proclaim a creed.

Is Dylan back to Christianity? Or, is he just using Christian images, as he had done so often even before his born again phase? Recall "I Dreamed I Saw Saint Augustine": ...With a blanket underneath his arm and a coat of solid gold. Searching for the very souls whom already have been sold."

That street "where the Jews, and Catholics, and the Muslims all pray" -- is that a vision of a multi-faith America, or some point in the Old City in Jerusalem where such a prayer life would be possible?

Or, is Dylan flirting with ancient Greek religion?  Consider the hymn-like "Mother Of Muses:"

Mother of Muses sing for my heart

Sing of a love too soon to depart

Sing of the heroes who stood alone

Whose names are engraved on tablets of stone

Who struggled with pain so the world could go free

Mother of Muses sing for me...

Is "Mother of Muses" just an easier way of referring to Mary? Is she (oh, I am so going out on a limb here!) the Shechinah, the feminine presence of God?

I don't know, and as I said, let's leave the religious question to the "professionals."

Especially because when Dylan channels Walt Whitman in "I Contain Multitudes;" when he sings of all the identities that comprise him, who is among the ones that he cites? Along with Edgar Allan Poe, the Rolling Stones, Indiana Jones: "I'm just like Anne Frank..."

Dylan sees himself as a Jewish teenage girl, hiding in an attic with her family from the Nazis.

When all is said and done (and all is probably not said and done), at the very root of his existence: Dylan is Bobby Zimmerman, and there is no piece of him that can forget it.

"I'm a man of contradictions, I'm a man of many moods. I contain multitudes..."

There is no single popular artist -- no, there is no single American cultural hero -- who contains as many multitudes as does Bob Dylan.

Listen to the album. It will move you, profoundly -- and, as is always the case with Dylan, it will make you think.

This content was originally published here.

[gospelmusic]

Catholic Daily Mass Readings: Today, Sunday 17 May 2020 - I Will Not Leave You Desolate

Sunday May 17, 2020 Sixth Sunday of Easter (A) Vestment: White Today’s Rosary: Glorious Mystery Theme of the Sunday: The Promise of the Spirit. The main theme of today’s readings is Jesus’ promise to send the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth. The Spirit’s coming will be celebrated on the feast of Pentecost. Today’s gospel spells out how we should prepare to receive the Spirit. The second reading is a practical application of this teaching in the lives of persecuted Christians who know that the Paraclete will always be with them. The first reading shows the apostles calling down the Spirit in the imposition of hands.

Entrance Antiphon cr. 1s 48:20 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Proclaim a joyful sound and let it be heard; proclaim to the ends of the earth: the Lord has freed his people, alleluia.

The Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) is said.

  Collect Grant, almighty God, that we may celebrate with heartfelt devotion these days of joy, which we keep in honour of the risen Lord, and that what we relive in remembrance we may always hold to in what we do. Through our Lord. .

  FIRST READING       “They laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8:5-8.14-17)

In those days: Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and  saw the signs which he did. For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralysed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for the Spirit had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

The word of the Lord.

  RESPONSORIAL PSALM  Ps 65: 1-3a.4-5.6-7a.16 and 20 (R. I) R/. Cry out with joy to God, all the earth. Or: Alleluia. Cry out with joy to God, all the earth; O sing to the glory of his name. O render him glorious praise. Say to God, “How awesome your deeds!” R/. “Before you all the earth shall bow down, shall sing to you, sing to your name!” Come and see the works of God: awesome his deeds among the children of men. R/. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. Let our joy, then, be in him; he rules forever by his might. R/.

Come and hear, all who fear God; I will tell what he did for my soul. Blest be God, who did not reject my prayer, nor withhold from me his merciful love. R/.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

    SECOND READING   “Put to death in the flesh, he was made alive in the Spirit. ” A reading from the first Letter of Saint Peter (1 Peter 3 :15-18)

Beloved: In your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defence to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God’s will, than for doing wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.

The word of the Lord.

  ALLELUIA John 14:23 Alleluia. If a man loves me, he will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. Alleluia.

  GOSPEL         “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor. ” A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John l4: 15-21)

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you. “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL The Holy Spirit restores us to life.

PRIEST:                My brothers and sisters one of the fruits of Easter is the coming of the Holy Spirit into our world. We ask God our Father to help us to be open to the Spirit, as we make our prayers to him.

  READER:             For the leaders of the Church, (pause) may they always be open to the promptings of the  Holy Spirit, and so, through him, grow in the fullness of wisdom and truth. (pause) Lord, hear our prayer; and send your Spirit upon us we pray Oh Lord.  

For the world in which we live, (pause) may all Christians realize that the world is changing for better or worse, and that it will only be for the better if, by being open to the Holy Spirit, everyone make a positive Christian contribution to the society around us. (pause) Lord, hear our prayer; and send your Spirit upon us we pray Oh Lord.

For those whose faith has become weak, (pause) may they come alive again to God’s Holy Spirit and may the dying embers of their love of God be fanned into a flame. (pause) Lord, hear our prayer; and send your Spirit upon us we pray Oh Lord.

  For a spirit of Christian unity, (pause) may all Christians ask the Lord to send his Holy Spirit upon us to heal the wounds of our division and strengthen our common faith. (pause) Lord, hear our prayer; and send your Spirit upon us we pray Oh Lord.

  We pray in silence to our heavenly Father for our own private intentions.

  PRIEST: Father, you have not left us orphans but sent us the Holy Spirit in whose power we make our prayer to you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

  Today's Reflection In today’s first reading we see how the people of Samaria, experience the joy of receiving the good news through the ministry of Philip. They rejoiced that they came to know the true saviour. James and John strengthen them in their faith by laying hands and obtaining for them the power of the Holy Spirit. In today’s gospel Jesus promises the same Holy Spirit, the counsellor, to be with them for ever. The Counsellor is the spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit is the promise of the Lord as he departs from this world after fulfilling his mission. So a Christian is never left abandoned by God, but always lives in the Holy Triune God. St Peter, in the second reading advises the people to be ready to answer their adversaries with a defence of gentleness and reverence. This is the consequence of receiving the Holy Spirit. Lord, fill me with your Spirit of courage and joy.

    Personal Devotional: Day 17 May Devotion

Determination to continue to witness for Jesus no matter the circumstances should be the priority of anyone who truly wish to be a disciple after the mind of Christ.

Our Mother Mary was a witness par excellence. She witnessed with her life and example. She spoke less but acted more and she never gave up even in the most difficult and challenging times of her life. This should be our attitude always. Never give up, but stay strong and continue to profess Jesus Christ in good times and in bad and you will definitely see the face of God.*

  Meditation: Acts 22:30;23:6-11

  Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, the journey of following you and witnessing for you could be tough, but I believe in your grace to see me through. May I remain steadfast until the end. Amen. *And May the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.*_

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Follow us on social media: Facebook: @hottestnaija.com Twitter: @wherehot Instagram: @hottest9jablog (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Click here to take a look at our posts on gospel music download

or click this link to see all posts that include gospel music lyrics

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

You may also like our gospel worship songs page which contains, the best, coolest and hottest Nigerian Gospel Songs, and Foreign Gospel Songs. Whatsoever is the mood, we've got you covered. Do you feel like dancing, rejoicing, shouting, screaming, or you're filled with jubilation because of the Mighty things the Lord has done? Then look no further, cos our gospel praise songs page, containing the hottest Nigerian and foreign praise songs collection, was prepared specifically for you. Peradventure you need the lyrics of the songs you are downloading now, just downloaded, or have downloaded before, our lyrics page is the best place to look. What more could be more helpful and entertaining than seeing the lyrics of your most favourite  song before you, as the music unfolds unto the climax. Hey we've been there before, and still encounter it from time to time when the vocals get lost in the cloud of heavy orchestration.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Are You a Classical Music lover, our classical music page, contains the best of classical songs, composed and written by composers like G. F Handel, Bach, Joseph Haydn, etc. As you listen to your best gospel song, you may also want to get some more insight and knowledge about the word of God, from eBooks written by God's servants, or you may want to learn something new or build yourself up in some way. Then our eBook Page is the right place to look. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); You may be in need of entertainment, and probably want to watch a video too. We understand that as well. You can get entertaining video downloads from our video downloads page.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

#Music #Lyrics