Musical Musings

During my four years of college at the University of Dallas, I developed a liking for country music. Specifically, I began to enjoy a brand of country music loosely dubbed "Texas Country" after having been introduced to it by several of my roommates. I had already been a fan of such legendary artists as Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson, et. al. What I like about these types of music (apart, of course, from the great "twangy" sound) is that they so often grapple with the eternal difficulties and pitfalls of the human condition with a refreshing poetic flair. This feature of the music is often heard in various ballads which tell the stories of outlaws. All right, you say. Where am I going with all of this? Very well -- all the poignant descriptions of sin, misery, mercy, and sometimes even redemption in this particular genre of music lead me inevitably to meditate on the Sacrament of Penance! And in a larger sense, these enjoyable musical forays which consider the nature of the human condition make me think of the Church, who we may rightly say is the foremost expert on Man.

For instance, take a few lines of gem of a tune by Texas artist Cory Morrow, which prompted me to write this entry:

The Man that I've Been
Cory Morrow

As the years go by and by, upon a shadowed ground I walk
The people and the places of my past have now been lost
The man that I've been is not the man I'd hoped to be
Now it's too late to find the good in me

and

Don't you feel any sorrow for the man that I've been
'Cause in the waking of tomorrow
They will find me full of sin
I got news for you, I ain't as bad as they say
I got news for you, it looks like,
That just don't matter today

Now, what an splendid dramatic portrayal of a guilty soul, one obviously in need of what only the Church can give at the hands of her priests - absolution! The outlaw in the song is practically crying out for it. I admit it's a bit of a stretch to find reminders of the powers of the Sacraments in the words of country musicians, but at the same time I can't help but notice the real poetic merit of some of their work.

Disclaimer: I am in no way suggesting that this music I enjoy approaches the greatness of any of the Church's more beautiful art, musical or otherwise; I am only suggesting that one might be presented with a great occasion for meditation on serious matters when they least expect it.