Throughout the Holy Week, I kept singing in my mind MAN OF GOD--partly because it had been quite some time since I last played it on my iPod, and partly because it seemed appropriate given the time of year. The tune, however, isn't a liturgical one; but it's an insightful piece from jazz artist and recent Grammy nominee, Kate McGarry.
Thanks to Laine, who brought home McGarry's CD (IF LESS IS MORE, NOTHING IS EVERYTHING) from Hong Kong, I have been introduced to this acclaimed artist who has a rather unique approach to music. She says, "I've always been drawn to the space of silence between the notes. It is in the silence that the secrets of songs reveal themselves." In MAN OF GOD, McGarry finds purpose in a world of illnesses, and expresses her discovery through her less is more philosophy in music.
Below are the lyrics to the song, and the music track itself.
Listen between the lines.
Happy Easter to all!
MAN OF GOD
Kate McGarry
How do you know a man of God?
Can he cure your ills?
Does he quote the Bible?
How do you know a man of God?
Can he read your mind?
Does he feed the poor?
How do you know when someone's heart
Is bending on his knees through the night and day?
How can you tell whose prayer it was
That kept the child fed or war at bay?
Where will you seek a man of God?
Behind long, black robes?
Or those stained glass windows?
Where will you seek a man of God?
Would you look next door?
Over your big, white fences?
And if you find a holy one,
Will you beg forgiveness for you human flaws?
I'm praying for a miracle so we can learn
That love is the one, the one true law.
What if you are a man of God?
Would you recognize yourself without a halo?
What if the love you fear to show is enough
To feed a world of starving souls?
You can feed them.
Will you feed them?
