Aaron Weiss is a poet. His medium is music. His music has changed my life.
He's like a prophet. He's even got the garb and personality to go with the job. With cutting cultural, personal, and spiritual insight, he blasts himself and all who ignore and dishonor God.
The first time I ever heard mewithoutYou, I cringed. Their earlier stuff is called "spoken word." The vocalist simply speaks, screams, or whispers the words. mewithoutYou is set to a solid and rocking band with tight drum and bass, piercing guitar melodies, and and overall dirty sound.
Strangely, I've come to love the amelodic ranting about God, faith, love, sin, depravity, and suffering. Sometimes the truth of it reaches into my chest and shakes the cobwebs off.
These honest and real-life confessions have been formative in the past few years for both Rachel and myself, so I thought I'd share some of Aaron's genius. As you listen, be prepared to maybe not like the music...just focus on the words. I have a selection from the end of the song posted below.
(here he is talking about being enthroned on human praise...)
"...And the misguided insects crown me their grasshopper king with a dance of celebration.
After years with a crown on my head, I've grown overfed, unconcerned and comfortably numb.
Kept busy indulging in the pleasures of the wealthy.
O someone make me afraid of what I’ve become!
At the first sign of possible sorrow, I turned my heels and ran.
Oh, I’ll never learn.
My life is a cup of sugar I’ve borrowed before time began and forgot to return."
-January 1979, Catch For Us The Foxes, mewithoutYou
Every once in a while I'll post a mewithoutYou lyric for reflection, hope you'll join in with me. Look the song up as well, so you can hear the intensity and passion with which it is sung.
O that God would shake us awake from the unconcerned, comfortably numb life we tend to seek after and even slip into, and instead enliven us unto returning our lives to Him who has given us breath. amen
After 4 years of actively trying to like mewithoutyou - I've finally found victory! I got into them because their lyrics are so incredible, and, as of a couple of months ago, I actually enjoy their music as well! They are awesome. You guys are awesome. Blogs are awesome. I can't wait to read your thoughts and keep in touch regardless of how close or far we all are. :) Love you guys!
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