Last week I found myself sitting beside a Theravadan Buddhist monk for meditation. He led us through an exercise of chanted morning prayers for ourselves, our friends, our enemies, and the whole world. This same monk spends much of his day praying for the world and its inhabitants, all sentient and non-sentient beings.
Later it dawned on me that I am one of those (usually) sentient beings whom he prays for every day. As I walked down Avocado Blvd to work this week, many thousands of miles away from this monk, I began thinking of all the other people who are praying for this old bag of bones (me) in the world in any given moment: my family, my friends, monks praying the hours around the world at each moment, this monk and his own community, and so on.
In a world that can feel so absolutely dreadful, I experienced this as a moment of deep graciousness. It dawned on me that my own community prays for the whole world each week on Sunday mornings, and that even we have a part of that graciousness.
I arrived at my office, promptly sat down, and scribbled out this song. Later I wrote and rewrote the song during lunch breaks and between responding to emails.
So far here at Table Wine I’ve been sharing songs that have either sat in a back file somewhere anonymously, written years ago, or are covers (that is, OTHER people’s songs) that I love to sing. Here, for once, is a brand new song that nobody besides yourselves has heard until now. I’ve included a photo of my journal so that you can get a glimpse into my songwriting brain earlier this week, just for fun.
The melody is simple, and strikes me as probably riffing somewhere between Dylan’s Not Dark Yet and early 2000’s Springsteen. This is very much a song in it’s becoming stages, and is not quite complete, but I thought it might be another moment of graciousness to let folks hear at Table Wine in on the fun. You’ll hear me stumble over a couple of lines I’m still working out, but that’s all part of the fun.
Mama wakes with eyes full of tears An old monk chants through the endless years May a pot of gold meet you at the end of your fears Somebody’s praying for you. A one man boddhisatva band Sings that you might understand The light that might emanate deep within Somebody’s praying for you. Somebody’s praying now Somebody’s praying for you now. Top of the hour, 'round a loaf of bread In a crowded subway, in a pilgrim’s head On the paths to grace, in a gasping breath Somebody’s praying for you. Little ones needing their souls to keep Searching out for a mercy seat Swords into plowshares let us beat Somebody’s praying for you. Somebody’s praying now Somebody’s praying for you now. Somebody’s praying by the side of the road That somebody’d come and give him a tow A call to the depths for a sign of hope: A cup of water and a length of rope Church pews snoring on a Sunday morn’ The cry of a widow newly born Kyrie Eleison for a world so torn Somebody’s praying for you. A cynical man’s just a hungry soul An angry man’s just an empty bowl A closed up flower’s a little too cold Somebody’s praying for you. Somebody’s praying now Somebody’s praying for you now
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