Language of the Body

Upholding and Defying Truth: Assignment #1 on page 92

Songs often express an emotion. Jean Baptiste Montegut once said, “Music, like religion unconditionally brings in its train all the moral virtues to the heart it enters, even though that heart is not in the least worthy.” This quote describes the impact that music has on all of us and how it is creation of God, who loves us and wants us to be able to see His teachings and His truth expressed! Music directly correlates with religion, for they both involve emotion and beauty. The band Mumford and Sons beautifully write lyrics that incorporate faith and love in their songs. One song in particular, “White Blank Page”, questions the responsibility of a man to take care of His woman and truly love her, not just her body. The song says, “ Can you lie next to her and give her your heart, your heart…as well as your body and can you lie next to her

and confess your love, your love….as well as your folly and can you kneel before the king

and say I'm clean?” It uses the example of a man caring for a woman. Even though love should be felt on either side, it shows the truth of love, in that love is not just physical feeling. Love is felt through the heart. The lyrics seem to be said from a conscience- like viewpoint, for it is asking if a certain man can love a woman for who she is and truly be honest with her and express his cares and his faults. It also refers to judgment day and how we as a society should be evaluating our actions. They are saying that if we truly love someone, it will be honest and just. It is asking the man if he is just and could he go before God and say that he did nothing wrong. The song also says, “Lead me to the truth and I will follow you with my whole life.” This line accurately refers to the fact that through love people can experience full understanding of God’s truth and the truth that we are called to love and be loved. Once again, this song directly refers to religion, in that it expresses and upholds the truth of our bodies, which consists of finding love and religion through life.

On the other hand, there are songs out there that express the increasing view of society to be “sexualized” and to push boundaries. The song “Take it off” by Ke$ha, outwardly portrays a picture of a young woman who doesn’t care about who she has sexual relations with. She encourages others to have sexual relations with numerous partners. The lyrics consist of, “When the dark of the night comes around, that's the time, that the animal comes alive….Looking for

Something wild…. Everybody, take it off..” Through her music, she continuously expresses her carefree attitude. Her lyrics support her opinion that a carefree attitude and vibrant spirit automatically mean having sexual relations with numerous people and acting in an irresponsible manner. In her song, she even admits to knowing that she will regret it in the morning, but she doesn’t care and just wants the pleasure-seeking aspect that having sexual relations offers, which goes against the real and meaningful truth of our bodies and the way we use them! Her lyrics also say, “There's a place I know if you're looking for a show, where they go hardcore and there's glitter on the floor…Lose your mind.. Lose it now…Lose your clothes in the crowd. We're delirious. Tear it down…'Til the sun comes back around.” She compares having sexual relations to a show or a party, in which bodies are just portrayed as part of the act. Saying that there is “glitter on the floor” exemplifies this idea that using our bodies in this way is okay. However, it is not true! Her cong clearly expresses a lie! She expresses how she wants to have an escape from reality and from how she thinks. Overall, this song expresses of the immoral views that go against what the first song refers to. Ke$ha encourages others to live a lifestyle that God did not intend for us. It is one thing to want to have fun and to express yourself, but it is a whole other thing when you use your body, a creation of God in a careless and selfish way! These songs both show two different views of the truth of our bodies, but only one is correct and that is by the great Mumford and Sons!