In case you missed it last week, I’ve started writing a short series of posts explaining some of the stories behind the songs on my new album.
This week I’m writing about ‘Post’:
It’s a song I wrote quite a few years ago now. I remember traipsing around the streets of Drumnadrochit, composing it in my head while I was a postman up there. That’s over 5 years ago now so, as you can probably tell, procrastination plays a significant role in my life!
The song was originally named ‘The Post Evangelical’, after the book of the same name by the wonderful Dave Tomlinson, but I shortened it to ‘Post’ to perhaps make it a bit more user-friendly.
The song is very much autobiographical in nature and, for that reason, I was pretty nervous about putting it out there. The lyrics may seem controversial to some, but I’ve had some lovely feedback from a number of folks who find they completely relate to what I’m singing about. One person even called it their “anthem”. Which was nice 🙂
“Spiritual intelligence is not being clever enough to answer hard questions; it’s being open enough to see life and others afresh through the eyes of a child. It requires that we cease taking refuge in what we think we know to constantly explore and learn from what we don’t know. It requires that we give up the addiction to certainty and learn to appreciate the virtue of questions.”
– Dave Tomlinson, ‘How to be a Bad Christian’
You can buy it in these places:
Bandcamp
iTunes
Amazon
Here are the lyrics. Enjoy 🙂
Post
Goodbye evangelical certainty
You’ve served me well for thirty odd years
But now I know it’s time to leave
I am no longer a baby in your fragile little arms
So don’t tell me your stories
And don’t sing me your songs
And don’t presume that you know me
And that it’s me who’s in the wrong
Fear may well be the beginnings of wisdom and love
But I don’t want to be afraid anymore
And I need to grow up
Goodbye cookie-cutters and Sunday schools
How can I be part of this game if I don’t play by your rules
And it’s no fun for anyone with me just hanging around
So don’t tell me your stories
And don’t sing me your songs
And don’t presume that you know me
And that it’s me who’s in the wrong
I’ve had more than my share of this safety on numbers
And strong certainties
I choose to live in a dangerous world
Where I know I am free
And it’s no fun for anyone with me just hanging around
So don’t tell me your stories
And don’t sing me your songs
And don’t presume that you know me
And that it’s me who’s in the wrong
Can’t you see that the gossip, the grudges, the violence
Have taken their toll
I choose to escape from the clutches of your good intentions
And save my own soul
Who is that walking towards me as I
Leave these sinking ships
Beckoning me ever forward
With a whisper on her lips
There is more than this
