This song was stuck in my head recently, I figured out why, and I think the answer is noteworthy. This song describes exactly where I am--in the middle of internalizing God. I think it's popular right now because that's exactly where society is. Take a look.
Here is the music video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiore9Z5iUg
Here are the lyrics.
LILLY WOOD & THE PRICK LYRICS
"Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix)"
(with Robin Schulz)
Yah, you never said a word
You didn't send me no letter
Don't think I could forgive you
See our world is slowly dying
I'm not wasting no more time
Don't think I could believe you
Yah, you never said a word
You didn't send me no letter
Don't think I could forgive you
See our world is slowly dying
I'm not wasting no more time
Don't think I could believe you
Yah, our hands will get more wrinkled
And our hair will be grey
Don't think I could forgive you
And see the children are starving
And their houses were destroyed
Don't think they could forgive you
Hey, when seas will cover lands
And when men will be no more
Don't think you can forgive you
Yah when there'll just be silence
And when life will be over
Don't think you will forgive you
Yah, you never said a word
You didn't send me no letter
Don't think I could forgive you
See our world is slowly dying
I'm not wasting no more time
Don't think I could believe you
Yah, you never said a word
You didn't send me no letter
Don't think I could forgive you
See our world is slowly dying
I'm not wasting no more time
Don't think I could believe you
Yah, our hands will get more wrinkled
And our hair will be grey
Don't think I could forgive you
And see the children are starving
And their houses were destroyed
Don't think they could forgive you
Hey, when seas will cover lands
And when men will be no more
Don't think you can forgive you
Yah when there'll just be silence
And when life will be over
Don't think you will forgive you
From:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lillywoodtheprick/prayerincrobinschulzremix.html
The fact that it's so unclear who is speaking to who in this song is part of what makes this song so perfect. Is it humans talking to humanity? Society talking to society? Humanity talking to God? God talking to humanity? It's all of the above. And that's why it's really about internalizing God.
I am in a place where I can hardly tell the difference between myself and God anymore. My relationship with God is definitely ending, but at the same time, it is maturing to its greatest deepest intimacy.
It's a confusing place. Why does God allow these bad things to happen? Does he even exist? If he does exist, what's difference does it really make if he just sits there and watches people get screwed? Is it really all just us? Do we have that power normally attributed to God? How do we believe that? Is it by taking responsibility?
Recently I've been reminded of how repetition of can be extremely valuable. When reading, listening, or speaking, like in a mantra, or a song, or poetry, repetition can reveal something about the subject that wasn't apparent before. The words can change meaning, and be very enlightening. In this song there is a subtle but gradual change of words among the repetition that gently brings us from one place in this struggle to another.
Consider the last line of each stanza:
Don't think I could forgive you
Don't think I could believe you
Don't think I could forgive you
Don't think I could believe you
Don't think I could forgive you
Don't think they could forgive you
Don't think you can forgive you
Don't think you will forgive you
Don't think I could forgive you
Don't think I could believe you
Don't think I could forgive you
Don't think I could believe you
Don't think I could forgive you
Don't think they could forgive you
Don't think you can forgive you
Don't think you will forgive you
It evolves in two cycles from "Don't think I could forgive you", to "Don't think you can forgive you", to "Don't think you will forgive you".
It's saying, I want to live in love, but who do we blame for this? Who do we forgive for this? I want to know who is responsible so that I can forgive them, grieve, and get past it. Is it you? Or you? Is it God? But whoever it is, I don't think I can forgive them. I don't think anyone can forgive them. I don't think they can forgive themselves. But we have a responsibility to forgive. And what if its God we have to forgive? The concept of forgiving God? That's a role reversal liken to inheriting the mind of God. And if it's God talking to us, have we failed on our responsibilities he has left to us? And if so, then that means he gave us the power to fix it--a God-level capability. The more you grow with God, the more authority and responsibility he gives you, and the more he imbues you with the mind of God--a mind of truth and love. At some point God becomes so integrated into you that you never have to look outside yourself to find him. And at that point, is there really a difference between you and God? Especially if you are in earnest? So have we put this responsibility on ourselves, believing in some way that we could save those children, but we didn't? It makes God kind of redundant. We would not have put that responsibility on anyone or anything, human or God, if we didn't believe success was somehow, some way possible. And how could we believe that if it wasn't in us to do it in the first place? I don't know how we ever got separated from God (actually, I have a theory), but this song is making an effort to bring us back together. To answer if it's us, society, or God... it's all of the above, all at once.
This song is asking society to figure out how to believe in forgiveness without believing in an external God separate from who we really are. It's asking us to figure out how to forgive ourselves so that we can become true sources of love, and maybe have real peace in the world. Because I think forgiveness is the first big step toward becoming our own Gods, and then we can create the world we really want. But before we can fully forgive, we have to fully take responsibility for everything.
I'm not wasting no more time, means I'm not going to wait around for God to do it for me. I'm going to do it myself, and God can either help me, lead me, or get out of my way. The speaker is completely taking responsibility for the situation, and abandoning any idea that she is waiting around for an external God's help. In abandoning God, she's also abandoning the idea of an external God; abandoning her belief and faith in it. She's abandoning her old self that thought the real God power was outside of her. Because it was God who abandoned her needs and those children's needs. And in taking that responsibility, she's reclaiming the power and authority of God--her true creative power--within herself, and actually coming BACK to the real God and the real truth in a very real way.
All of that is converging together in a way that I can barely explain. But the song itself nails it. The song itself is that convergence. Good music is truly magical. A good piece of artwork is a channel that collects energy unto it, takes you through a transformative process, and releases the energy back to you. Art is communication in context. And this cultural context is perfect for this song.
All I can conclude for sure in this is that responsibility and forgiveness is a very strong common thread, and it seems like the end of this convergence is a "conversion" to a sort of athiestic spirituality, where we recognize and unify with the God within us in a more real, quantifiable way than we ever have.
This is a sign that our society is starting to internalize God. It's a sign that it wants to--we are thirsty for a spiritual revolution. Songs like this are opening the door allowing us do that.
See Also:
How to get rid of a song stuck in your head
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