While anticipating Coldplay’s March concert here, I re-listened to the song ‘Viva La Vida’ from their international bestselling album (of 2008) by the same name. It’s really a terrifically uplifting and catchy radio-friendly song. However, if its jubilant high-spiritedness urge you to check out the lyrics, be ready for a big surprise. The words really sing of a seemingly poignant personal episode of defeat in history (though not Buddhist in nature). I think the way the tune carries the lyrics illustrates two major lessons. The first one is this… As Stonepeace put it:
How we carry our [existential] plight matters more than our plight.
How we carry our plight determines whether we overcome our plight.
You can sing any tune to any lyrics that describe your life, even if your life isn’t exactly cheery at the moment. We determine our attitude; not the circumstances we are in. Perhaps true ‘cheer’ is that which we still manage to maintain in our darkest hour. The second lesson is this… You can’t really judge what a song is trying to express by its tune or lyrics alone, just as you can’t really judge people (and stuff) by how they seem at first. What are the lyrics in your life now? How are you carrying them? What’s your tune? ‘Viva La Vida!’ (‘Long live life!’) Which life? Make it the spiritual one – the ‘wisdom life’. (慧命）
Great post there..what is the lyric of my life now ! This reminds me how am I going to write the song of my life !
Thanks for finding it useful :-] Here’s another article to share on music and lyrics – Singing the Swan Songs of Samsara: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thedailyenlightenment-realisation/message/248 :whistle: