For Christmas I made a “mixed CD” for my siblings and friends. I had obsessively been listening to a band called Mumford & Sons and the play list ended up being 97.9% them. So much for a “mix.”

I ended up limiting myself to only six of their tracks, but getting rid of certain songs was literally like dropping little orphan Annie off at Miss Hannigans.

Needlesstosay…

I am obsessed. And so are others. Two of my friends blogged about them recently which is affirming because my friend Nicole knows way more about music than I do…so if she is a fan, then I must be in with the cool kids.

Speaktome…

The lyrics speak to me in a way that causes me to stir. While the lead singer soulfully confesses his thoughts, I also feel I am somehow confessing with him. Not only are the lyrics moving, they are spiritual to me. (This is the part where Christians try to figure out if the band is also Christian…)

“Don’t you get it? God is what Bono is looking for!”

Doesn’tevenmatter…

I don’t even think it matters. With Mumford & Sons the lyrics take me to a place where I think about my soul, my actions, my future, my Creator and love.

My guess is they believe in God, and if they are Christians then I put them in that category of Christians who feel rebellious for dropping the F-word every chance they get. Actually it’s only in one song, and while I’m not the biggest fan of that word, for me, it doesn’t outweigh the depth of lyrics such as:

tremble little lion man,
you’ll never settle any of your score
your grace is wasted in your face,
your boldness stands alone among the wreck
learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck

or this…

You told me that I wouldn’t find a home
Beneath the fragile substance of my soul
And I have filled this void with things unreal
And all the while my character it steals

Darkness is a harsh term don’t you think
Yet it dominates the things I see

It seems that all my bridges have been burned
But you say ‘That’s exactly how this grace thing works’
It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart
But the welcome I receive with every start

or this…

And there will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

Listen to their lyrics. Run to their drums and horns. Awake your Soul.

Love, Joy

p.s. As a woman who played the upright bass in 7th and 8th grade you can also see the draw…don’t believe me? Ask my mom…The thing was twice the size of me…Ill ask her to hunt down a picture.