It's what the people want..........more mewithoutYou discussions (you know who you two are)
While spending 6-8 hours a day studying for my summer Biblical Greek class, I had plenty of time to listen to music. Of course, I listened to the new mewithoutYou album about 20 times. The song "The King Beetle on the Coconut Estate" has repeatedly caught my ear. Not only is it a great song musically, but the story is incredible. Here's a couple thoughts:
1. The whole scenario of a beetle colony seeking to figure out this "great light" is amazing. It's like we (the listener) are viewing the whole situation from a divine perspective. Us listeners know what the "great light" is. It's fire of course. We understand it and know what it is like. If the fire is a metaphor for God, then this story must be portrayed through the lens of the divine.
2. The first beetle who attempts to figure out what the "great light" is gives us a glimpse into what happens when we try to quantify God in finite, mathematical, or otherwise human terms. This professor tries to understand God through academia, but ends up with "neither a light nor a heat in his words". In his studying and quantifying, he lost his passion.
3. The militant beetle who tries next to figure out the "great light" has an equally difficult time. He attempts to conquer the fire with bravery and violence. But this is obviously not how we come to know the "great light".
4. The climax of the song comes when the Beetle King is "utterly changed into fire". He explains that our true father is "the life within all that you see." He is the provider, sustainer, and in order to know him, we must fly "headlong into the blazing unknown."
Beautiful.
Here's the full song lyrics:
As the Moon rose and the hour grew late, the day help on a Coconut estate raked up the dry leaves that fell dead from the Trees, which they burned in a pile by the lake.
The Beetle King summoned his men, and from the top of the Rhododendron stem: Calling all volunteers who can carry back here, the Great Mystery's been lit once again.
One Beetle emerged from the crowd in a fashionable abdomen shroud, said:
I'm a Professor, you see, that's no mystery to me...
I'll be back soon, successful and proud. But when the Beetle Professor returned he crawled on all six, as his wings had been burned, and described to the finest detail all he'd learned.
There was neither a light nor a heat in his words.
The deeply dissatisfied King climbed the same stem to announce the same thing, but in his second appeal sought to sweeten the deal with a silver Padparadscha ring.
The Lieutenant stepped out from the line as he lassoed his thorax with twine, thinking: I'm stronger and braver and I'll earn the King's favor.
One day all he has will be mine!
But for all the Lieutenant's conceit he, too, returned singed and admitting defeat: I had no choice, please believe, but retreat...
It was bright as the sun, but with ten times the heat!
And it cracked like the thunder and bloodshot my eyes, though smothered with sticks it advanced undeterred.
Carelessly cast an ash cloud to the sky, my Lord, like a flock of dark, vanishing birds.
The Beetle King slammed down his fist: Your flowery description's no better than his!
We sent for the Great Light and you bring us this?
We didn't ask what it seems like, we asked what it IS!
His Majesty's hour at last has drawn nigh!
The elegant Queen took her leave from his side, without understanding but without asking why, gathered their Kids to come bid their goodbyes.
And the father explained: You've been somewhat deceived...
We've all called me your dad, but your True Dad's not me.
I lay next to your mom and your forms were conceived, your Father is the Life within all that you see.
He fills up the ponds as He empties the clouds, holds without hands and He speaks without sounds, provides us with the Cow's waste and coconuts to eat, giving one that nice salt-taste and the other a sweet.
Sends the black carriage the day Death shows its face, thinning our numbers with Kindness and Grace.
And just as a Flower and its Fragrance are one so must each of you and your Father become.
Now distribute my scepter, my crown and my throne and all we've known as 'wealth' to the poor and alone...
Without further hesitation, without looking back home, the King flew headlong into the blazing unknown!
And as the Smoke King curled higher and higher, the troops, flying loops 'round the telephone wires, they said: Our Beloved's not dead, but His Highness instead has been utterly changed into Fire!!!
Why not be utterly changed into Fire?...
15 comments:
Good observations. I will comment more later. Including some connections I found to the teachings of the Desert Fathers of the 3rd century. Some of their thoughts remain heavily in eastern christian denominations, but have been largely lost in the west. More to come on that...
In other news...I could not be more excited for the new David Bazan album. Only like 10 more days!!!
Hmm...I know I'm the old fart in these music discussions, but this lyric sounds more Hindu than Christian to me--lose oneself in the flame and just become one with the greater universe doesn't ring very true to the Jesus way. When we lose ourselves to Jesus it involves giving ourselves in service to his "least of these," which, while it may indeed lead to our death, is way different from immolating ourselves on the flame of God.
You guys have heard me harp on this before, but I think you need to apply more of a critical theological eye even to poetry...
And Robbie you are right that some of the desert fathers and other mystics in Christianity have taught stuff like this. I think they were wrong and missed significant biblical truth, but they did teach it.
OK I'm on a roll...this is also why I have such a problem with the David Crowder "I am full of earth" song. It's basically a hyper-Calvinist, Total Depravity sort of message that I don't think jives with the notion that God created that which is good (and Adam, taken from the dust of the earth, was "very good"). Listen to the singing in church and you can often get some of the worst our theology has to offer.
Dan,
I don't see the ending of this song to convey that the King Beetle became "one with the greater universe". He recognized that coming to know God (our "True Dad" in the lyrics) involves being wholly consumed in God; not a passionless intellectual faith, and not a false militant crusade. God is the ultimate reality in which all goodness, beauty, providence, and life flow from. It's ok for us to use this metaphor of fire to understand God. It's not perfect, but it helps me.
I agree that losing ourselves in Jesus involves serving the "least of these". However, that is not the start of it all. It starts with us wholly dying to ourselves and living a redeemed life. The fruit from this is selfless service, taking care of the poor, worshipping God in everything, etc.
Take Colossians 3 for example. The thought progression goes from dying to our sinful selves, and then moves to living in righteousness. There is fruit from being redeemed. We can serve the poor, but it's not the starting point; it's the overflow of our life transformed.
Motivation and reason to serve the poor can come many different places, but jumping headlong into the blazing fire of God is the place to start. We then serve the poor in order to glorify our True Father.
So unpack this a little for me, Brent. How do you envision "jumping headlong into the blazing fire of God?" I can't see past that image to anything but pointless self-destruction on the things that claim to be God but aren't...just as the Beetle King mistakes the man-made bonfire for his creator instead of accurately seeing it as the creation of another creature, "the day help."
In other words, perhaps the song's analogy is TOO good...in the pursuit of holiness or truth or whatever, all too often people miss the target entirely and deify the wrong things...and in the process they uselessly consume themselves without ever meeting the Father. Sounds like a pretty accurate description of a lot that goes under the terms "worship" and "spiritual discipline" to me.
I don't want to try to take this metaphor too far. The point is to be transformed by God.
What goes on in formal worship at churches is definitely fallible because we are attempting to commune with God; that's not an easy thing to accomplish.
Another song lyric jumps to mind when thinking about worship: "If ever You come near I'll hold up high a mirror. Lord, I could never show you anything as beautiful as You." This is probably a better starting point to worship than naively attempting to do something that is impressive to God.
Here's a scripture, for my two cents into the issue of the metaphor and whether it is valid:
John 3:30
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
John the Baptist recognized that his ministry only existed to further Jesus' kingdom, and that ultimately He must and would decrease, while Christ would increase.
I think it is valid to make an analogy to being consumed by fire.
Interesting you mention the David Crowder song. I'm not a Calvinist, but I love the picture in that song. I think even Calvin would agree that God created man good, and I think you might agree that while we are created good, our nature is severely broken and twisted as a result of sin? The picture in the song seems like a beautiful picture of Grace, and how Christ puts in us his Goodness -- a message it seems most Christians should agree about, it being fairly central to the faith.
But I do not want to bring the discussion too far afield.
I like the song a lot, and the lyrics stuck me in a lot of the same ways. The analogy / metaphor is imperfect (and notably NOT explicit) - as all metaphors are. As such I think it is also a beautiful picture, one that resonates with my soul and my pursuit of Christ's way.
-J
or rather, my experience as I have pursued Christ's way.
Interesting thoughts/questions, Jared. I think your illustration of John the Baptist is actually a good one. He recognized correctly that Jesus must increase and he must decrease, but John did not actively cause his decrease. He just kept on serving the role God had given him to fulfill, which was to promote Jesus. It did eventually cost John his life, but he didn't throw himself on the sword, the sword came to him as a result of his uncompromising service.
That's where I have the problem with this metaphor, and with many statements of seeking God that go with it. Mystics in many religions have their followers lose themselves, and maybe even lose their lives. A huge difference in the way of Jesus is that we lose ourselves, not in mindless meditation or pointless self-destruction, but rather in selfless giving and sacrificial service. It is a very real difference. The "living sacrifices" we are to offer are the total opposite of self-destructive annihilation others would promote. That's what --sorry for the pun-- bugs me about this song.
On the Crowder one; I agree that as humans we aren't what God intended or created us to be. That human nature has been twisted and corrupted is true. My problem with the song is that I don't see biblical, Jesus-style worship grovelling in our corruption. Jesus-style worship is recognizing the greatness of our God, and then responding in loving service because of what he has done. It's working in and for the new kingdom, and proclaiming and celebrating the coming of that kingdom. Whether it's David Crowder now, or Isaac Watts 300 years ago "for such a worm as I," I just don't see the contemplation of our own filth to be an appropriate part of worship.
But hey, I'm no expert at worship anyhow...
What I actually think is scandalous about that David Crowder song which few seem to pick up on is the line "prone to depravity". I take this as a jab at hard line Calvinism. That line implies something quite different than total depravity. When someone is prone to something, they are not wholly consumed by it but easily susceptible to something outside of ourselves.
For example, I am prone to good falafel. I am not made up of falafel, their is no burning falafel in me that I cannot hold back from eating, but the world offers me tasty falafel everywhere I look and because it is so tasty I am prone to pull in to a drive-thru falafel stand and indulge.
In this way I am prone to sin and depravity as well.
I actually think Crowder's line sums up my fundamental stance on the fallen nature of this world better than any other way I can think to articulate it. We were created good as was the rest of creation. That creation was corrupted because of us and we are now prone to pursue that corrupted path. Not bound to, but prone to.
Now about the King Beetle song (which by the way is my favorite song on the record).
So Dan you are correct that the root of this song is not wholly Christian. It is directly inspired by a story written by an Islamic Sufi teacher named M R Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. Both of Aaron's (the lyricist) parents were actually followers of this teacher until he died in the late 80's. Aaron, having been a child during these years, has obviously had his view of the world shaped by this as well. But in my view if it is true it belongs to the one true God (we will continue to evaluate if it is true later).
I have a copy of the book that this particular story is from if any of you are interested, or you can read it on google books by copying the link at the bottom.
It is interesting to me Dan that you would think that this way of thought could inspire people to just "lose themselves in the universe" instead of helping the poor and serving the "least of these". Because Aaron Weiss himself has actually done the opposite. And in fact the song points to this, "
Now distribute my scepter, my crown and my throne and all we've known as 'wealth' to the poor and alone..."
In his personal life Aaron took Jesus command literally to sell all that he has and gave it to the poor. Now he spends much of his time (while not on tour) to working in a neighborhood program much like Farm Drive. He lives in the bus that they tour in, (which by the way has been converted to run off of leftover kitchen grease they get from restaurants around the country) and he eats many of his meals out of dumpsters because he doesn't like to let food go to waste.
Now, none of this automatically validates his beliefs, but it is an example that they do not necessarily lead to becoming "lost in the universe".
Personally, I do not think your interpretation is correct. I resonate with this song because it points to a group of people (beetles) who have no clear evidence for God but the "great light" that is too dang big for them to begin to wrap their heads around. Most of the evidence just seems to trivial but when they see this light they are utterly afraid of it and attracted to it at the same time. As Brent said most try to intellectualize it or think that with enough force and military might they can subdue it, but God will not be conquered or stuffed into our finite heads. The king realizes that he must completely and utterly submit himself to the fire instead.
It is not about becoming God, but becoming so consumed in his fire that you move as one. I think the metaphor of a flower and its fragrance is good because although they are distinct they are inseparable. As we hope to become with God. The flower gives life to its fragrance as does God breathe life into us (pneuma anyone).
We can sit by his side, rest in his bosom, and fully give over our hearts, minds, and bodies to his works of service.
I think the only thing to read into the fact that the fire is not actually God, is that we don't for sure know the ultimate reality of this universe either. But if we were in the Beatles position we better be pursuing that light we see with a reckless abandon and refuse to settle for a life without God. We are each to be "fully convinced in our ow mind".
This is really long, but on top of this, it is a story that is being put in the constraints of meter and a rhyme scheme. So although we should be theologically critical, we must also be generous with metaphors and look for the artist's intent.
I hope this is readable
http://books.google.com/books?id=E9_KzFNdcTQC&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=The+Divine+Luminous+Wisdom+that+Dispels+Darkness&source=bl&ots=qxtGz9ku-w&sig=5BYkIwN-g1nOO5Yht0lvvcLUt5Y&hl=en&ei=z18DSt7_B5PIMrL0lKMD&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
As promised, here is the Desert Fathers teaching that the phrase, "utterly changed into fire" comes from.
“Abbot Lot came to Abbot Joseph and said: ‘Father, to the limit of my ability, I keep my little rule (a monastic structure of prayer, silence, work, and contemplation), my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and to the limit of my ability, I work to cleanse my heart of thoughts, what more should I do?’ The elder rose up in reply, and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: ‘Why not be utterly changed into fire?’”
Here are to links to people who have used this passage to describe how when you let God's "consuming fire" into your life you invite both suffering and a life of service.
http://www.stmaryseast.org/Messenger/current/fire.htm
http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2091
Well, I guess I just come from a different universe on that one. I see the Beetle King abandon his wife and family, and any ability to do any good on his own, and recklessly plunge to his own destruction absent any call, guidance, or anything of the sort.
By contrast I see a very direct call from Jesus which--while it can be all-consuming and can lead (in a depraved world) to destruction--is a call mostly to do and be, not sacrifice and cease to be.
But then, as you both know, I also have very little connection to most mystical metaphors as I have never been granted the gift of knowing God on a mystical level either. . .so the whole notion probably seems more of a fool's destruction to me than it would to someone who has engaged God on a more relational or emotional level. I certainly admit that I'm no authority when it comes to the metaphor and transcendence of faith.
So I honor what you tell me the guy who wrote the song has done...and I honor you guys' dedication as you well know. But I would still approach this and many other songs with a great deal of caution, recognizing (as I have at the least proven) that metaphor can be misconstrued in dangerous ways.
But then I also find that for over half of the songs sung in "worship" at our church, I simply cannot join in singing because I am at odds with their message. So I guess I'm not a standard point of measure...
Peace, guys! You know I love you both!
Folks, this message accords with the sufi conception of ego-death as access to god.
The beetle king, the pitiful sovereign of his corporeal state, sends first his intellect and then his strength and suasion to interrogate the great mystery, the blazing unknowable. Acts of description are unable to bring the fullness of the mystery behind the subject-object seperation - "we asked for the great light and you bring us this, we didn't ask what it seems like, we asked what it is".
And so given the failure of his faculties, the king-as-ego annihilates itself to be present within the mystery - the participatory consciousness being the only way of understanding God.
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