Some days I have to remind myself that this molded dust and clay holds life. And not the “oh wait, is my heart still beating?” kind of life. But Life. Capital L. Life.
Some days it just gets boring. Or frustrating. Or impossible (Don’t go all Mt. 19:26 on me. You know what I mean. It just feels impossible.)
And in those days I try to remind myself that this is just the way Life is lived right now. All dusty and messy and fallen. And the only true test of knowing whether or not I’m Living is if I’m Breathing.
Not breathing in the breath of lungs. But the Breath of Life. That is what we were given in The Beginning. And that is what will sustain us until The End.
If you are looking for signs of Life among your days, look for Breath. Look for the sacred inhale and exhale. And if you can’t find it–if you can’t locate that sacred Breath, then turn your face to Heaven and just Breathe. Let that inhalation be a prayer–a prayer that you will see Life…
Fallen Garden – Mandy Thompson, 2011, ASCAP
We all walk this fallen garden:
shrouded vines and signs of
life in lingered shadowed death.
Betrayed and dismayed by our own knowing,
we only wanted something–
hungering for the betterment.
And we search for all the secret reasons,
sifting through each season.
Ever changing, never rests.
In our searching, we will walk this garden,
struggling for perfection.
Every breath a breaking in.
Our walk will wind and wander farther.
Though lush it still is lacking,
reaching for the consummate.
Scraped by sword and scene of angels.
Never ceasing dreaming:
what was then and what is best.
But we hope for all the secret reasons,
sifting through each season.
Ever changing, never rests.
With each morning we will walk this garden,
striving for perfection.
Every breath a giving in.
And we know that at the end of seasons
we will find the reason.
All is well and all at rest.
Until then, we will walk this garden
held by His perfection.
Every breath a breathing in.
“scraped by sword and scene of angels.
never ceasing dreaming:
what was then and what is best.
but we hope for all the secret reasons,
sifting through each season”
those lines get to me. been thinking alot about Hope lately, misplaced hope, secret hope.. true hope. all of those thoughts tied into one messy thought inside my brain. thank you for sharing.
I stumbled on that word as a synonym for Perfection, or something, when I was creating a bank of words to draw from. I haven’t done that often — pulled together words beforehand. But I think the payoff on that exercise really shows itself in this song. I’ve seen the pros say that do that. And now I know why!
We all walk this fallen garden:
shrouded vines and signs of
life in lingered shadowed death.
Betrayed and dismayed by our own knowing,
we only wanted something–
Reminded that we are never alone — because of Him and those who come alongside. That we all face betrayal, uncertainly and self-doubt. Just knowing that … is. enough. Deep gratitude for sharing this inspiration, Mandy! ♥
I haven’t thought about how that phrase “we all” means that we’re not alone. I guess I was going for the shared humanity of the life in a fallen world… Not thinking, though, that we could walk together. Great insight from this!
Ever changing, never rests.
“With each morning we will walk this garden,
striving for perfection.
Every breath a giving in.
And we know that at the end of seasons
we will find the reason.”
Were you reading my journal when you wrote this song? You had to be. I really love this song… like alot alot.
You still remind me of Joan Baez! hands down
Mandy, your lyrics are so vivid and rich with imagery. Love them. I think your lyrics have gotten better and better with every song. In this one, you really *feel* like you’re walking through a tangled, messy, unkempt, mysterious, shrouded, maze-like garden. The melody definitely enhances this feel and the imagery.
Your lyrics are also really beautifully circular… the verses echo each other, build upon the concept and words in the verse before, and the last verse completes the thought. For example…
“Every breath a breaking in….
Every breath a giving in….
Every breath a breathing in….”
Very cool! Good job! I think my only suggestion would be to add a chorus with a hook, or even giving the “ooh’s” more of a melodic hook that hits a major chord… that is, if you want this song to be “hooky” – but you might not! I have an idea – call me and I’ll sing it for ya!
LOOOOVE this feedback. Thank you! A good friend of mine suggested something similar in needing a chorusy/major chord thing. If you can, record your idea & send it to me. Seriously. I wanna hear what you’ve got.
Hi Mandy. I was putting up my Friday Morning Virtual InterPlay blog. Theme? Breathe In Gratitude. WordPress showed your blog and song below. I listened and voila, you have a new fan. Check out my blog, too, if you like or find me at InterPlay.org. I am the cofounder. Great to find the soundcloud, too!
Nice! Such a peaceful and relaxing tune….until you focus on the words. Like it a lot!
exactly. I’d call it a lament… A soft subtle cry.
shrouded vines and signs of
life in lingered shadowed death.
Love that!
Man I wish you had some time to really score it for me–been thinking about your composer skills since I wrote it on Monday.
Loved listening…. thanks for sharing, Mandy!
Hey Dustin! You’re welcome.
“scraped by sword and scene of angels.
never ceasing dreaming:
what was then and what is best.
but we hope for all the secret reasons,
sifting through each season”
those lines get to me. been thinking alot about Hope lately, misplaced hope, secret hope.. true hope. all of those thoughts tied into one messy thought inside my brain. thank you for sharing.
Hey Meghan!! Thanks for listening. And, yes, messy is a good word when hope gets all wrapped up and tangled like that.
Perhaps one of my favorite tunes from you.
And you definitely win the Song Scrabble Award of the Year for the use of the word “consummate” in a song. That might be a Guiness World Record.
I stumbled on that word as a synonym for Perfection, or something, when I was creating a bank of words to draw from. I haven’t done that often — pulled together words beforehand. But I think the payoff on that exercise really shows itself in this song. I’ve seen the pros say that do that. And now I know why!
We all walk this fallen garden:
shrouded vines and signs of
life in lingered shadowed death.
Betrayed and dismayed by our own knowing,
we only wanted something–
Reminded that we are never alone — because of Him and those who come alongside. That we all face betrayal, uncertainly and self-doubt. Just knowing that … is. enough. Deep gratitude for sharing this inspiration, Mandy! ♥
I haven’t thought about how that phrase “we all” means that we’re not alone. I guess I was going for the shared humanity of the life in a fallen world… Not thinking, though, that we could walk together. Great insight from this!
Awesome Mandy
Thanks Lori
Very, very good.
He truly will “never leave us nor forsake us.”
Thanks.
You’re welcome.
Ever changing, never rests.
“With each morning we will walk this garden,
striving for perfection.
Every breath a giving in.
And we know that at the end of seasons
we will find the reason.”
Were you reading my journal when you wrote this song? You had to be. I really love this song… like alot alot.
You still remind me of Joan Baez! hands down
Mandy, your lyrics are so vivid and rich with imagery. Love them. I think your lyrics have gotten better and better with every song. In this one, you really *feel* like you’re walking through a tangled, messy, unkempt, mysterious, shrouded, maze-like garden. The melody definitely enhances this feel and the imagery.
Your lyrics are also really beautifully circular… the verses echo each other, build upon the concept and words in the verse before, and the last verse completes the thought. For example…
“Every breath a breaking in….
Every breath a giving in….
Every breath a breathing in….”
Very cool! Good job! I think my only suggestion would be to add a chorus with a hook, or even giving the “ooh’s” more of a melodic hook that hits a major chord… that is, if you want this song to be “hooky” – but you might not! I have an idea – call me and I’ll sing it for ya!
LOOOOVE this feedback. Thank you! A good friend of mine suggested something similar in needing a chorusy/major chord thing. If you can, record your idea & send it to me. Seriously. I wanna hear what you’ve got.
Hi Mandy. I was putting up my Friday Morning Virtual InterPlay blog. Theme? Breathe In Gratitude. WordPress showed your blog and song below. I listened and voila, you have a new fan. Check out my blog, too, if you like or find me at InterPlay.org. I am the cofounder. Great to find the soundcloud, too!
Wow Cynthia. I will definitely check out your site. Thank you for wandering around to me.
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