Music was an ever present part of my life growing up. There was one time when a bunch of relatives, whom I have not met until their visit to our town from the city, gathered round at my Grandma’s house for a singing. That day, we’d gone hiking to a smaller village literally sitting on top of a mountain called Maligcong. This place boasts of mountain layers of rice fields that very much rivals the more famously known Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines. To get to the village, we had to get past three mountains. The reward, for me, is really in the process of getting there, not so much seeing the village itself, for in the hiking is where the grandeur of God’s creation, contrasting my smallness, affirmed the crazy-love of a God far more powerful than I can ever imagine yet still cares for the little details in my life. Anyway…there we were, immersed in the beauty of nature, taking in the expanse before our eyes, feeling close enough to touch the sky yet still far away. The young rice seedlings, only about a foot tall sticking out from the mud field, softly danced with the breeze. And then it was time to go home.
After getting all bathed and fed, our company gathered ’round Grandma Herminia’s house and an uncle picked up the guitar. Out came some Peter, Paul, and Mary classics – “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” On and on they sang. I was about nine or ten years old at the time and very much enjoying the sounds. Then I heard a tune that stuck with me since that first time I heard it:
“…it grieves my heart so,
Won’t you let me go with you?
No, my love, no.”
Oh the voice of my Auntie Rhonda singing that song…I heard the pain in her voice, the sadness. And the harmony from the other guys in the circle, especially at the oh-ooohing at the end – ah! That just brought me goosebumps! I thought the tune and the way it was sang was just beautiful and haunting at the same time. Perhaps for this very reason, those exact lyrics stayed with me for so long. I looked up the song on the internet (what can we do without it now?) and eventually found it:
Cruel War
Peter, Paul, & Mary
The Cruel War is raging, Johnny has to fight
I want to be with him from morning to night.
I want to be with him, it grieves my heart so,
Won’t you let me go with you?
No, my love, no.
Tomorrow is Sunday, Monday is the day
That your Captain will call you and you must obey.
Your captain will call you it grieves my heart so,
Won’t you let me go with you?
No, my love, no.
I’ll tie back my hair, men’s clothing I’ll put on,
I’ll pass as your comrade, as we march along.
I’ll pass as your comrade, no one will ever know.
Won’t you let me go with you?
No, my love, no.
Oh Johnny, oh Johnny, I fear you are unkind
I love you far better than all of mankind.
I love you far better than words can e’re express
Won’t you let me go with you?
Yes, my love, yes.
Yes, My Love, Yes.
The singing went well into the night – all aunts, uncles, and cousins just simply enjoying the music and each other’s company. There were many more occasions such as this in my growing years, especially when a relative from the city or abroad comes to visit. Permanent imprints in my memory that I so cherish.
Music is the one thing that most of my family, immediate and distant, all appreciate. Doesn’t matter if the person plucking away on the guitar or drunk or not…eventually someone else took over. Doesn’t matter if the song is good ol’ swingy Sinatra, folksy Peter Paul & Mary or Jim Croce, rockin’ Beatles, or aged hymns of the faith…the singing kept going.
Thankful for the music…what other folks refer to as the soundtrack of our lives. I love this line from the movie, August Rush:
“You know what music is? God’s little reminder that there’s something else besides us in this universe, a harmonic connection between all living beings, every where, even the stars.”
Our pastor mentioned twice on separate occasions that he learned somewhere that stars do have natural vibrations, much like a sound wave from a musical instrument. Isn’t that just mind-blowing? But really, hear this from Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” How cool is that?
Ah! Life would be colorless without music.
“The music is all around us; all you have to do is listen.” – August Rush