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Keywords:
Folk (353), Gospel (36), Jesus (84), Temptation (5)
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Description:
One of those songs I wrote in an hour and have spent the next ten years trying to get it right on tape. It has a crazy harmony structure and each verse is longer than some whole songs. I don't feel like I've quite gotten it right here. But, after a few years of recording, editing, cutting away whatever didn't work, and starting again, I just sat down last week and recorded live in two passes: one with vocals and rhythm guitar, and then I overdubbed a second guitar. Added a bit of bass and percussion later. There's a better take in me somewhere, but this is what it is for now. The full story on the song is on my song-a-week blog: http//web.mac.com/... . I messed up some of the words in this take, but because of the bleed on the microphones, I can't fix them without redoing everything. So, the printed words here are the "real" ones.
Lyrics:
Forty days and forty nights, Jesus fasted in the wild,
forty days and forty nights, tempted yet not defiled.
Sun scorched the day and the night time ice dew shed,
desert beasts prowled, stone a pillow earth his bed.
Forty days and forty nights Satan sat on every rock,
saying lend me your years, carpenter,
for we must have a talk;
you’re hungry and you’re tired—listen to what I’ve said—
if you truly were the Son of God,
you’d change these stones into bread.
And Jesus said:
“It is written in the Word and it is written on my life,
it is written in the Word and I will not be defiled.
Why should I waste my power
to make bread from these stones.
It is written in the Word
man shall not live by bread alone.
Forty days and forty nights, Jesus fasted in the wild,
forty days and forty nights, tempted yet not defiled.
Sunburn began to peel, skin felt leather dry,
boiling sand burned below the azure Jordan sky.
The devil took him to a high place
overlooking the whole world.
“All of this you see before you, I can give
or haven’t you heard—
all the kingdoms of this world are mine, all that you see,
and I’ll let you rule on my behalf
if only you’ll bow to me. Don’t you see.”
Then Jesus said,
“It is written in the Word and it is written on my life,
it is written in the Word and I will not be defiled.
Your power is usurped and your authority is phony.
It is written in the Word:
‘worship the Lord and serve him only.’”
Forty days and forty nights, Jesus fasted in the wild,
forty days and forty nights, tempted yet not defiled.
Satan smoked a stogie, ran a magic carpet ride
back over the Jordan, over the walls and then inside
of the temple in the Holy City,
and parked on the highest spire.
“You need to prove yourself to me,
a sign is what I desire.
Is it not written
‘He will command his angels concerning you’?
Well, throw yourself from this temple tower
if you believe that this word is true. What will you do?”
Then Jesus said,
“It is written in the word and it is written on my life,
it is written in the Word and I will not be defiled.
Do you think twisting the Word of God leaves me distressed?
It is written in the Word:
‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Forty days and forty nights, Jesus fasted in the wild,
forty days and forty nights, tempted yet not defiled.
In temptation, remember Jesus
and from greedy goals abstain.
Let us watch the Lord in prayer,
for with him we endure pain.
Then when evil press us, flesh or spirit to assail,
Victor in the Wilderness, may we never faint or fail.
We shall always face iniquity for the Devil may be turned.
As Jesus did, we may defeat
evil with the power of God’s word.
And we shall say,
It is written in the Word and it is written on our lives,
it is written in the Word and we will not be defiled.
Oh, it is written in the Word
and it is written on our lives.
Hardware:
Tacoma Koa Dreadnaught acoutic guitar miked by a Røde NT4 stereo microphone. Voice miked by a Studio Projects C1. Mics plugged into a MOTU Traveler and recorded by a MacBook Pro.
Software:
Logic Pro.
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nice &mdash 06/05/07 - 08:57:00 PM
song. and i really like your voice. if there is a better take in you, it is totally unneccesary IMHO. like this version very much. [ Reply to This ]
Great &mdash 06/09/07 - 06:13:13 AM
I don't mind it being long. It holds for listening all way through. Actually I found it so nice that I mailed some MJ friends to show it to them. When I came here it had yet no faves after four days, and I took it as a sign that people just don't know of it's existence. [ Reply to This ]
Thank you &mdash 06/12/07 - 12:49:50 PM
Very kind of you Johannes. It looks like some more people have discovered it, thanks to you. [ Reply to This ]
Yes! &mdash 06/09/07 - 07:31:49 AM
Great song! I have been thinking about this lately- how Jesus was tempted in every way, but was without sin. And that on the Cross, He took all authority away from satan. Preachers tell us we are saved from hell when we turn to Jesus, but they rarely tell us we have also been set free from the power of sin, if we truly believe and seek the Lord. I like the word pictures you painted in your song. "We will not be defiled." Yeah!! :-) [ Reply to This ]
Good point &mdash 06/12/07 - 01:03:39 PM
Thanks for your comment Roxylee. The original inspiration for the song came from a sermon by the late E.V. Hill. He made the point that Jesus, because of who we was, could have "taken out" the Devil, but instead he showed us, by example, how *we* can stand against evil. A message which stuck with me for a long time; I think the song is verse/point from the sermon. [ Reply to This ]
Inspiration nurtured &mdash 06/09/07 - 08:49:21 AM
Great job on this. Well considered sentiments. Lovingly delivered. Nice acoustic presentation. Thanks for sharing. I like the spontaneous aspect of its genesis.
This gives me ideas for the "darkness" and "temptation" components of my project with Gomez. [ Reply to This ]
Enjoyed the tune &mdash 06/09/07 - 03:43:41 PM
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