It is Tuesday morning, the first day of 2008 and I wake up this morning and like many mornings a song begins in my head and heart. A song from an artist that was one of my favorites beginning in my teenage years. His song Longer was sang at mine and my wife's wedding. Over the years I stopped listening to Dan Fogelberg for who knows what reasons. Hey, things come and go in life many times without us even recognising they are gone or not seeing a new thing coming. They disappear and appear out of nowhere. I used to hate that, but today I'm learning to live at peace with it. It's a part of learning to live with expectancy, in the moment, and like the picture above, the answers often don't become clear until after they happen or in the moment. And here is a thought...is there really two roads (or more) to choose from or is it more about awakening and staying awake and not being dragged around by fears and the cares and worries of the world?
So, the song Nether Lands began playing for me this morning sort of out of nowhere, accept for the fact that Dan popped up on my radar screen last week at the news of him falling asleep to this world after having battled advanced prostate cancer since 2004. These are some of the last lyrics Dan Fogelberg wrote down and put to music.
The Lord in His wisdom, the Lord in His grace
Has given to man a redeemer
To save us from sin and to show us the light
That shines on this first Christmas morning
And will shine ever each Christmas morning
This is one of those "not ever seeing it coming" post entries on my blog. The fact that I begin the year with a song is not surprising at all. But to begin the new year with someone who's music traveled with me for many years and then for the past 10-15 years had disappeared from my life is a bit surprising this morning, but this song is so beautiful and puts into words the road of life that I have come to know.
I pray that we all find, in newer deeper ways, the life hidden with Christ in God and the freedom...peace....joy and REST that we all so long for.
Nether Lands
High on this mountain
The clouds down below
I`m feeling so strong and alive
From this rocky perch
I`ll continue to search
For the wind
And the snow
And the sky
I want a lover
I want some friends
And I want to live in the sun
And I want to do all the things that I
never have done.
Sunny bright mornings
And pale moonlit nights
Keep me from feeling alone
Now, I`m learning to fly
And this freedom is like
Nothing that I`ve ever known
I`ve seen the bottom
And I`ve been on top
But mostly I`ve lived in between
And where do you go
When you get to the end of
your dream?
Off in the nether lands
I heard a sound
Like the beating of heavenly wings
And deep in my brain
I can hear a refrain
Of my soul as she rises and sings
Anthems to glory and
Anthems to love and
Hymns filled with early delight
Like the songs that the darkness
Composes to worship the Light.
Once in a vision
I came on some woods
And stood at a fork in the road
My choices were clear
Yet I froze with the fear
Of not knowing which way to go
One road was simple
Acceptance of life
The other road offered sweet peace
When I made my decision
My vision became my release.
The clouds down below
I`m feeling so strong and alive
From this rocky perch
I`ll continue to search
For the wind
And the snow
And the sky
I want a lover
I want some friends
And I want to live in the sun
And I want to do all the things that I
never have done.
Sunny bright mornings
And pale moonlit nights
Keep me from feeling alone
Now, I`m learning to fly
And this freedom is like
Nothing that I`ve ever known
I`ve seen the bottom
And I`ve been on top
But mostly I`ve lived in between
And where do you go
When you get to the end of
your dream?
Off in the nether lands
I heard a sound
Like the beating of heavenly wings
And deep in my brain
I can hear a refrain
Of my soul as she rises and sings
Anthems to glory and
Anthems to love and
Hymns filled with early delight
Like the songs that the darkness
Composes to worship the Light.
Once in a vision
I came on some woods
And stood at a fork in the road
My choices were clear
Yet I froze with the fear
Of not knowing which way to go
One road was simple
Acceptance of life
The other road offered sweet peace
When I made my decision
My vision became my release.
----------------------------------------------------
It's been a morning of listening to Dan's music on youtube. I'm reminded of why I loved his music so much. Here is one more.
8 comments:
Happy New Year Friend....
thanks for sharing....these are great lyrics
pray for me have a pretty good sinus and ear infection...ughh!
peace,
Todd
will do
How fitting your first New Year's post is about music, o Music Man :)
I don't know this dude at all. I know the name but have never been familiar with his music. Don't you love how things we loved in the past come back to us - and, like you said, we don't know why we ever let them down. But here they are back again, and we get to enjoy them all over again. So strange how that happens. It's happened to me a lot recently with music I've forgotten and refound. Fun! Fun! Fun!
Reminds me of all the surprises there are for as if only we keep our eyes open and don't fall asleep. (And how easy it is to do that, for some strange reason. It's like our flesh has a sleeping sickness along with it's refusal to lay down - paradox :)
Sue, some of Dan's music will be added to my ipod. There are so many wonderful song. The recording Nether Lands is so beautiful. I sent the youtube video for his song Dancing Shoes to my oldest today along with a note letting her know how much joy she has brought into my life.
I saw Dan a few times in concert and the two times when it was just Him and his acoustic guitar and piano rank towards to the top of concert experiences.
Lovely thing for your daughter to have. I have mentioned to Wayne several times in the past how incredibly powerful it is for a daughter to have her dad say those kinds of words over her. Saves her from all sorts of ridiculous crap. So I'm glad to hear you have done this with your own :)
Sue, this from There Is A Place In the World For A Gambler is something for us all to remember and it doesn't just apply to women.
There's a song in the heart
Of a woman
That only the truest of loves
Can release.
There's a song in the heart
Of a woman.
Set it free
Papa has helped me see that it is necessary for me to get out of the way when it comes to my daughters. I'm learning to really love them in a way that feels so much healthier, free of any form of micro managing and the enforcemment of principles over my relationship with them.
I am seeing things happen in them that I was never able to make happen in all my well-planned-out- so-called "sound wisdom" which too often is a cover for manipulation and control.
Grace Grace Grace
Me too Kent! I loved him and am so grateful I had the opportunity to see him with Roger a few years back. I love that song you posted. It has significance for me too..
Have a blessed day...
Trish, there are so many lines and thoughts from that song that we could talk about for a long time. I think it is rich with things to think about.
He was a story teller and painted many pictures with words. The entire Netherlands recording was so different for him with the use of the orchestra and it had such a dream like feel to it.
Here is another beautiful song from that recording
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yc-kDJUw3k
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