"Most men live lives of quiet desperation."
~Henry David Thoreau
I've heard this quote by Thoreau many times. I like it well enough - it certainly is a provocative thought - but it wasn't till recently that I realized it's only half of Thoreau's original statement:
"Most men live lives of quiet desperation
and go to the grave
with the song still in them."
(italics added)
Yikes. That adds some pow to the punch, doesn't it? Imagine arriving at the end of life, only to discover that there was an entire symphony that we could have been living but didn't...or couldn't...or wouldn't. A silenced life, a muted life, unheard and unexpressed.and go to the grave
with the song still in them."
(italics added)
Makes me wonder how many times silence *isn't* golden, especially when it comes to Things That Matter Most.
The following track is in rough sketch form, just me and the piano. I trust you'll be able to look past the clunks and bumps to see the prayer that is expressed underneath.Ever grateful to the One Who Hears,
~Lisa
UNSUNG WORDS (sketch track)
Written and performed by Lisa Venkatrathnam
@ 2008, All rights reserved.
Unsung words
Are trapped and caught
Beneath the ceiling
Of my heart
I try to say
The simplest things
Cannot pray
Cannot sing
Am I scared
To tell the truth?
Why am I
So far from you?
Unwritten lies
Unspoken blame
Unanswered 'whys'
Unraveled faithYou welcome my silence
And ask for me to come
So turn this muted life
Into a living song
Even rocks
Can sing your name
But words refuse
To leave this cage
A voiceless gift
Must speak for me
Unscripted tears
To wash your feet
You welcome my silence
And ask for me to come
So turn this muted life
Into a living song
...You know what is unheard
...You hear my unsung words
.