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Link to Peter Gabriel's video |
One of the songs I like to play on guitar is "The Book of Love", originally recorded by the Magnetic Fields and later by Peter Gabriel. Here are the lyrics and information about the song (source).
The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures
And instructions for dancing
But I, I love it when you read to me
And you, you can read me anything
The book of love has music in it
In fact, that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb
But I, I love it when you sing to me
And you, you can sing me anything
The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know
But I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
Arguably the most recognized song from the 69 Love Songs Collection, “The Book of Love” is track 11 of volume one. Stephin Merritt sings a basic, timeless melody over a barely strummed guitar and light background vocals.
Despite its conversational lyrical style and not-entirely-romantic vocabulary (who would ever think to use words like “boring” or “dumb” in an honest to goodness love song?) the message of the song communicates how we tend to see love as cheesy or needless on the outside, and absolutely essential on the inside.The song has been used countless times in TV shows and movies. It got even more play after Peter Gabriel recorded a cover version for the film "Shall We Dance?" in 2004.
Another song that I've been listening too lately is "Home" by Lisa Hannigan. The lyrics are as follows:
[Verse 1]
Home, so far from home
So far to go
And we've only just begun
And oh, every lie we told
Is written in stone
Every lie we wrote in our bones
[Chorus]
And hold on, there's nothing to pack
We know we're not coming back
[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh oh oh
[Verse 2]
Oh, every promise that we broke
Is sewn to our clothes
Now we are pinned to the wind I suppose
Oh, every falling flake of snow
It has to give in
Oh but we spin and we spin and we spin
[Chorus]
Hold on, there's nothing to pack
Lay your heart out, we're not coming back
[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh oh oh
[Instrumental Bridge]
[Chorus]
And hold on, there's nothing to pack
Lay your heart out, we're not coming back
We're not coming back
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Lisa Hannigan singing "Home": link |
I interpret the song as describing our journey to the Source where with our 8.5 million lifetimes we are "so far from home" and we still have "so far to go". The Akashic Records ensure that "every lie we told" and "every lie we wrote" is eternally preserved as is "every promise that we broke". In the grand scheme of things, our little life is like a "falling flake of snow" that has to eventually "give in" and melt away but in the meantime "we spin and we spin" on our own little axes, unlike the Qutubs around which the universe spins. I especially like the chorus with it's exhortation to "hold on" to our little lives all the while remembering that as we pass on "there's nothing to pack" because "we're not coming back". "Lay your heart out" in the meantime and don't harden your heart, remain open and vulnerable.
