Going Home

I’m going home
the old way with a light hand on the reins
Making the long approach.
—Maxine Kumin


Thinking of people journeying home. I find this song hauntingly beautiful. 

JRR Tolkien Reads The One Ring Poem

Happy Birthday Tolkien!

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

“Roads Go Ever On
Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on,
Under cloud and under star.
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen,
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green,
And trees and hills they long have known.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone.
Let others follow, if they can!
Let them a journey new begin.
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

“And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

“But it does not seem that I can trust anyone,' said Frodo.
Sam looked at him unhappily. 'It all depends on what you want,' put in Merry. 'You can trust us to stick with you through thick and thin--to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours--closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

“Go back?" he thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!" So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter. ”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

“In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.

All save one. There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax: Shadowfax who alone among the free horses of the earth endured the terror, unmoving, steadfast as a graven image in Rath Dínen.
"You cannot enter here," said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. "Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!"
The Black Rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter.
"Old fool!" he said. "Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!" And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade.

And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the city, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of war nor of wizardry, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn.
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns, in dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the north wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

“It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterward were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again

“In sorrow we must go, but not in despair. Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Thanksgiving

1 ship 90 feet long and 24 feet wide.
110 passengers and 15-20 crew.
66 days at sea, one bad storm, one death.
Landing at the wrong place and potential mutiny, but some quick thinking resulting in a civil covenant.
A year of starvation, fear, lonelieness, mistakes, bad decisions, and sickness. A year when 46 of the 110 people die. Imagine if 46 people in your church died this year of sickness and hunger. No home would be untouched.

But at the end of this first year of so much sadness and pain, what do they do? They invite their unbelieving neighbours over and they thank God for His mercy and grace. Not because they didn't love those who died. Not because the year wasn't really that bad. But because God told them to in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Because Job did. Because Romans 8:28 had taught them that no matter how much they didn't understand, all things were still working together for good for those who loved God. And because they really grasped who they were as sinners and what God had done for them in Christ. They knew they could trust that the same God who sent His only Son to die in their place, to bring them from death to life, had a plan and a purpose for all that had happened to them, and at the end of the day they could rest in His sovereignty whether they understood it or not.

Because they had their eye on the big picture of who God is and what He had done on their behalf, they were able to genuinely thank Him for His love and care at the end of possibly the hardest year of their life.

It's a humbling thought.

U2 - Love Is Blindness (1993)

Twenty years on. Twelve amazing songs. Finishing with this hauntingly beautiful one. Happy Anniversary Achtung Baby! You were a big part of the soundtrack of my college years, and I still love every song!

Lyrics

Love is blindness, I don't want to see
Won't you wrap the night around me?
Oh, my heart, love is blindness.

In a parked car, in a crowded street
You see your love made complete.
Thread is ripping, the knot is slipping
Love is blindness.

Love is clockworks and cold steel
Fingers too numb to feel.
Squeeze the handle, blow out the candle
Love is blindness.

Love is blindness, I don't want to see
Won't you wrap the night around me?
Oh, my love,
Blindness.

A little death without mourning
No call and no warning
Baby, a dangerous idea
That almost makes sense.

Love is drowning in a deep well
All the secrets, and no one to tell.
Take the money, honey...
Blindness.

Love is blindness, I don't want to see
Won't you wrap the night around me?
Oh, my love,
Blindness.

U2: Acrobat

U2 - Ultra Violet (Light My Way)

Classic!

Lyrics

Sometimes I feel like I don't know
Sometimes I feel like checking out.
I wanna get it wrong
Can't always be strong
And love, it won't be long.

Oh, sugar, don't you cry.
Oh, child, wipe the tears from your eyes.
You know I need you to be strong
And the day it is dark, as the night is long.
Feel like trash, you make me feel clean.
I'm in the black, can't see or be seen.

Baby, baby, baby, light my way.
Alright now, baby, baby, baby, light my way.

You bury your treasure where it can't be found
But your love is a secret that's been passed around.
There is a silence that comes to a house
Where no-one can sleep.
I guess it's the price of love; I know it's not cheap.

Oh, come on, baby, baby, baby, light my way.
Oh, come on, baby, baby, baby, light my way
Baby, baby, baby, light my way.

I remember when we could sleep on stones.
Now we lie together in whispers and moans.
When I was all messed up and I heard opera in my head
Your love was a light bulb hanging over my bed.

Baby, baby, baby, light my way.
Oh, come on, baby, baby, baby, light my way.

U2 - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World

Love this song - "And a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle
When you're tryin' to throw your arms around the world."

Lyrics

Six o'clock in the morning, you're the last to hear the warning
You been tryin' to throw your arms around the world.
You been falling off the sidewalk, your lips move but you can't talk
Tryin' to throw your arms around the world.

Gonna run to you, run to you, run to you; be still.
Gonna run to you, run to you, woman, I will.

Sunrise like a nose-bleed, your head hurts and you can't breathe
You been tryin' to throw your arms around the world.
How far are you gonna go before you lose your way back home
You been tryin' to throw your arms around the world.

Gonna run to you, run to you, run to you; be still.
Gonna run to you, run to you, woman, I will.

Yeah I dreamed that I saw Dali with a supermarket trolley
He was tryin' to throw his arms around a girl.
He took an open top beetle through the eye of a needle
He was tryin' to throw his arms around the world.

I'm gonna run to you, run to you, run to you, woman be still.
I'm gonna run to you, run to you, run to you, woman, I will.

Nothing much to say, I guess; just the same as all the rest
Been tryin' to throw your arms round the world.
And a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle
When you're tryin' to throw your arms around the world.

Gonna run to you, run to you, run to you
I'm gonna run to you, run to you, run to you
I'm gonna run to you, run to you, run to you, woman be still
Woman be still, woman be still, woman I will.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

U2 - Mysterious Ways

Favourite lyric: "You've been running away from what you don't understand."

Lyrics

Johnny, take a walk with your sister the moon
Let her pale light in, to fill up your room.
You've been living underground, eating from a can
You've been running away from what you don't understand.

She's slippy, you're sliding down.
She'll be there when you hit the ground.

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright.
She moves in mysterious ways.
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright.
She moves in mysterious ways, oh.

Johnny, take a dive with your sister in the rain
Let her talk about the things you can't explain.
To touch is to heal, to hurt is to steal.
If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to kneel
On your knees, boy!

She's the wave, she turns the tide
She sees the man inside the child.

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright.
She moves in mysterious ways.
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright.
She moves in mysterious ways, yeah, oh, ah.

Lift my days, light up my nights, oh.

One day you'll look back, and you'll see
Where you were held now by this love.
While you could stand there,
You could move on this moment
Follow this feeling.

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright.
She moves in mysterious ways.
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright.
She moves in mysterious ways.

Move you, spirits move you
Move, spirits 'its move you, oh yeah.
Does it move you?
She moves with it.
Lift my days, and light up my nights, oh.

U2 - The Fly [Official Video in HD]

Genius lyrics -
"It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest.
It's no secret ambition bites the nails of success.
Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief;
All kill their inspiration and sing about the grief."

Lyrics

It's no secret that the stars are falling from the sky
It's no secret that our world is in darkness tonight.
They say the sun is sometimes eclipsed by the moon
Y' know I don't see you when she walks in the room.

It's no secret that a friend is someone who lets you help.
It's no secret that a liar won't believe anyone else.
They say a secret is something you tell one other person
So I'm telling you, child.

Voice 1 Voice 2
A man will beg Love, we shine like a
A man will crawl Burning star
On the sheer face of love We're falling from
Like a fly on a wall The sky... tonight
It's no secret at all

It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest.
It's no secret ambition bites the nails of success.
Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief;
All kill their inspiration and sing about the grief.

Voice 1 Voice 2
A man will rise Love, we shine like a
A man will fall Burning star
From the sheer face of love We're falling from
like a fly from a wall. The sky... tonight
It's no secret at all.

Love, we shine like a burning star
We're falling from the sky tonight

Voice 1 Voice 2
A man will rise Love, we shine like a
A man will fall Burning star
From the sheer face of love We're falling from
like a fly from a wall. The sky... tonight
It's no secret at all.

It's no secret that the stars are falling from the sky
The universe exploding 'cos-a one man's lie.
Look I gotta go, yeah, I'm running outta change;
There's a lot of things if I could I'd rearrange.

U2-So Cruel

Favourite lyric: "It doesn't matter to you, it matters to me."

Lyrics

We crossed the line, who pushed who over?
It doesn't matter to you, it matters to me.
We're cut adrift, but still floating.
I'm only hanging on to watch you go down, my love.

I disappeared in you
You disappeared from me.
I gave you everything you ever wanted
It wasn't what you wanted.
The men who love you, you hate the most
They pass right through you like a ghost.
They look for you, but your spirit is in the air.
Baby, you're nowhere.

Oh, love, you say in love there are no rules.
Oh, love, sweet-heart, you're so cruel.

Desperation is a tender trap
It gets you every time.
You put your lips to her lips
To stop the lie.
Her skin is pale like God's only dove
Screams like an angel for your love
Then she makes you watch her from above
And you need her like a drug.

Oh, love, you say in love there are no rules.
Oh, love, sweet-heart, you're so cruel.

She wears my love like a see-through dress
Her lips say one thing, her movements something else.
Oh, love, like a screaming flower
Love dying every hour.
Ah, you don't know if it's fear or desire,
Danger the drug that takes you higher?
Head of heaven, fingers in the mire
Her heart is racing you can't keep up.
The night is bleeding like a cut
Between the horses of love and lust we are trampled underfoot.

Oh, love, to stay with you I'd be a fool.
Oh, sweetheart, you're so cruel.

U2 - Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses HQ

This might be my fourth or fifth favourite U2 song. I love it so much. A song about honesty, loyalty, love, and holding back. At CC we had signature U2 songs - this was mine. Favourite lyrics - hard to say, cause I love each line, but probably the first two lines.

Lyrics
You're dangerous, 'cos you're honest.
You're dangerous, you don't know what you want.
Well you left my heart empty as a vacant lot
For any spirit to haunt.

You're an accident waiting to happen
You're a piece of glass left there on a beach.
Well you tell me things
I know you're not supposed to
Then you leave me just out of reach.

Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee?

Well you stole it 'cos I needed the cash
And you killed it 'cos I needed revenge.
Well you lied to me 'cos I asked you to.
Baby, can we still be friends?

Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee?

Ah, the deeper I spin
Ah, the hunter will sin for your ivory skin.
Took a drive in the dirty rain
To a place where the wind calls your name
Under the trees, the river laughing at you and me.
Hallelujah! Heaven's white rose
The doors you open I just can't close.

Don't turn around, don't turn around again.
Don't turn around your gypsy heart.
Don't turn around, don't turn around again.
Don't turn around, and don't look back.
Come on now love, don't you look back.

Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who's gonna taste your saltwater kisses?
Who's gonna take the place of me?
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna tame the heart of thee?

U2 - Until the End of the World (ZOO TV Live in Sydney )

What a great song! Without grace - we are all Judas. Favourite lyric - "You were talking about the end of the world."

Haven't seen you in quite a while
I was down the hold, just passing time.
Last time we met it was a low-lit room
We were as close together as a bride and groom.
We ate the food, we drank the wine
Everybody having a good time except you.
You were talking about the end of the world.

I took the money, I spiked your drink
You miss too much these days if you stop to think.
You led me on with those innocent eyes
And you know I love the element of surprise.
In the garden I was playing the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart.
You, you were acting like it was the end of the world.


In my dream, I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows they'd learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
Waves of regret and waves of joy.
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy.
You, you said you'd wait till the end of the world.

U2 - One - Anton Corbjin Version

This is one of those classic U2 songs I can listen to and hear new meanings each time. My favourite line: "Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head?" To me this is an angry song. A song about people who try to play God and fix you as a way of dealing with their own issues, people who manipulate you and use you to feel better, people who want you to be grateful, who ask you to enter and then they make you crawl. It's a great song.

Is it getting better, or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you, now you got someone to blame?
You say one love, one life, when it's one need in the night.
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you baby if you don't care for it.

Did I disappoint you or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love and you want me to go without.
Well, it's too late tonight to drag the past out into the light.
We're one, but we're not the same.
We get to carry each other, carry each other... one

Have you come here for forgiveness,
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much, more than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got.
We're one, but we're not the same.
Well, we hurt each other, then we do it again.

You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law.
You ask me to enter, but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on to what you got, when all you got is hurt.

One love, one blood, one life, you got to do what you should.
One life with each other: sisters, brothers.
One life, but we're not the same.
We get to carry each other, carry each other.
One, one.

U2 - Even Better Than The Real Thing - official video

Favourite lyrics in this song: "Well my heart is where it's always been
My head is somewhere in between"


Give me one more chance, and you'll be satisfied.
Give me two more chances, you won't be denied.
Well my heart is where it's always been
My head is somewhere in between
Give me one more chance, let me be your lover tonight.

(Check it out)
You're the real thing
Yeah the real thing
You're the real thing
Even better than the real thing.

Give me one last chance, and I'm gonna make you sing
Give me half a chance to ride on the waves that you bring
You're honey child to a swarm of bees
Gonna blow right through ya like a breeze
Give me one last dance, we'll slide down the surface of things

You're the real thing
Yeah the real thing
You're the real thing
Even better than the real thing.

We're free to fly the crimson sky
The sun won't melt our wings tonight.
Oh now, oh yeah, here she comes
Take me higher, take me higher
You take me higher, you take me higher.

You're the real thing
Yeah, you're the real thing.
You're the real thing
Even better than the real thing.
Even better than the real thing.
Even better than the real thing.

Achtung Baby - 20 Years On

It's been an amazing autumn for music. At least for music I like!

In September R.E.M. announced they were breaking up. Sad news, but they have a compilation of their best songs coming out soon along with some new ones which looks great. I love every 1990s, post-modern, crazy, X Files lyric they have. Definitely Christ College music!

Also in September The Cranberries announced that after 10 years they are finally coming out with another album. While none of their new songs grabs me that much, it reminded me how many great songs they do have.

And then there's my favourite band - the one that has written the soundtrack to my life - U2. October was the 30th anniversary of their early album, October. And now, in November, we have the 20th anniversary of my third favourite U2 album Achtung Baby. When I hear this album I think of college days, late night arguments, freedom, and immense hope. We all were trying to throw our arms around the world. Achtung Baby is the album of my college days, and those were good days.

So, I'm going to post a song a day to have fun remembering this album. The first is Zoo Station - all the craziness of the album summed up in this song. "I'm ready, I'm ready for what's next...
I'm ready to say, I'm glad to be alive." That's how you feel - going off to university, the world is before you - that's how you feel - ready for aything.

I'm ready
Ready for the laughing gas
I'm ready
Ready for what's next
Ready to duck
Ready to dive
Ready to say
I'm glad to be alive
I'm ready
Ready for the push

In the cool of the night
In the warmth of the breeze
I'll be crawling around
On my hands and knees

She's just down the line ... Zoo Station
Got to make it on time ... Zoo Station

I'm ready
Ready for the gridlock
I'm ready
To take it to the street
Ready for the shuffle
Ready for the deal
Ready to let go
Of the steering wheel
I'm ready
Ready for the crush

Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright
It's alright ... it's alright ... it's alright ... it's alright
Hey baby ... hey baby ... hey baby ... hey baby ...
It's alright
It's alright

Time is a train
Makes the future the past
Leaves you standing in the station
Your face pressed up against the glass

I'm just down the line from your love ... Zoo Station
Under the sign of your love ... Zoo Station
I'm gonna be there ... Zoo Station
Tracing the line ... Zoo Station
I'm gonna make it on time ... make it on time ... Zoo Station
Just two stops down the line ... Zoo Station
Just a stop down the line ... Zoo Station

The Cranberries - Daffodil Lament '95

10 years ago today I landed in Dublin on my way to life in Scotland.

"I have decided to start things from here.
Thunder and lightning won't change what I'm feeling.
And the daffodils look lovely today."

Into the West

Lay down your sweet and weary head
Night is falling. You have come to journey's end.
Sleep now. Dream of the ones who came before.
They are calling from across a distant shore.
Why do you weep? What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see all of your fears will pass away.
Safe in my arms, you're only sleeping.

What can you see on the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea, a pale moon rises.
The ships have come to carry you home.
And all will turn to silver glass.
A light on the water, all souls pass.

Hope fades into the world of night
Through shadows falling out of memory and time.
Don't say we have come now to the end.
White shores are calling. You and I will meet again.
And you'll be here in my arms, just sleeping.

What can you see on the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea, a pale moon rises.
The ships have come to carry you home.
And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water, grey ships pass
Into the West.
- Into the West - Howard Shore & Annie Lennox

"And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise."
- The Return of the King - by J.R.R. Tolkien

"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope." 1 Thess 4:13

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth..." Rev. 21:1

The End Of The End Of The World

Comradeship and serious joy are not interludes in our travel, but our travels are interludes in comradeship and joy, which through God shall endure forever. The inn does not point to the road; the road points to the inn. And all roads point at last to an ultimate inn, where we shall meet; and when we drink again it shall be from the great flagons in the tavern at the end of the world.


Hope is the last gift given to man, and the only gift not given to youth. Youth is pre-eminently the period in which a man can be lyric, fanatical, poetic, but youth is the period in which a man can be hopeless. The end of every episode is the end of the world...But the power of hoping through everything, the knowledge that the soul survives its adventures; that great inspiration comes to the middle-aged; God has kept that good wine until now...They are in their second and clearer childhood, and there is a meaning in the merriment of their eyes. They have seen the end of the End of the World.

G.K. Chesterton

Happy New Year

Loreena McKennitt - In The Bleak Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.