Every once in a great while, a piece of pure pop art hits on a grain of truth, and simply knocks it out of the ballpark. One such moment is found in John Mayer’s new hit song “Gravity.” Mayer is known for a deeper, more thoughtful lyric than his contemporaries, and is also quite deft at metaphor, something we here at the Abbey are in favor of. The song reads as such, with a simple beat, and an uncomplicated progression played smoothly on the guitar.
Gravity is working against me
And gravity wants to bring me down
Oh I'll never know what makes this man
With all the love that his heart can stand
Dream of ways to throw it all away
Oh Gravity is working against me
And gravity wants to bring me down
Oh twice as much ain’t twice as good
And can't sustain like a one half could
It's wanting more
That's gonna send me to my knees
Oh gravity, stay the hell away from me
And gravity has taken better men than me (Now how can that be?)
Just keep me where the light is
Just keep me where the light is
Just keep me where the light is
Just keep me where the light is
Ohh.. where the light is!
The first thing of note is the title/first word of the song: gravity. This word is a metaphor for nature, unhindered, unconquered. Gravity normally is an outside force working externally. Throughout this song however, it seems to take on a inward role, something inside the singer, working contra to the desires of the singer. It is “working against me” and it “wants to bring me down.”
The inwardness of this ‘gravity’ becomes clearer as the next stanza is sung. “This man…dream[s] of ways to throw it all away.” Those dreams are coming from the inside, and are not a product of external influences. Note the way Mayer describes the affect of this inward gravity: “I’ll never know what makes this man with all the love that his heart can stand dream of ways to throw it all away.” He hits our human nature square on the head, and speaks clearer truth than most Christians have the guts to even think, and does so unaware (to my knowledge) of our natural state of rebellion in Adam. We have been given far more than we could ever ask or think, and what is our natural response, apart from the grace of Christ? Throw it all away, hoping that we can find something more fulfilling in that pile of crap over there. We receive the God of all the heavens and earth, and despise Him so much, that we bow to the ‘more sacred’ gods of wood, stone, and TV.
The next stanza is an insightful note on our contemporary culture. “Twice as much ain’t twice as good, and can’t sustain like one half could. Its wanting more that’s gonna send me to my knees.” Our culture is a culture of gluttony. Gluttony concerns everything, not just food. Gluttony of every appetite: entertainment, sexual, financial, etc. We want it all, and then supersized. We are gluttons, hard and fast (actually more squishy and slow). We seriously think that more is always, and without exception, better. If one portion was good, two is better. If one woman was good, two is better. If one house was good, two is better. To hell with the cost. To hell with the consequences. Damn the torpedos! Full steam ahead! We are a thoughtless, futureless society. We have no notion of heritage or legacy. How do we live so that our children and children’s children live well? Does it matter how we live? Are those generations effected by our present actions? What is this ‘generation’ that you speak of? What is this notion of cause and effect? These are foreign concepts to my modern mind. Legacy? Isn’t that an SUV or something? Do not get me wrong. I am not on some neo-modern hippie crusade, proclaiming the barefooted good news of dreadlocked organic living. There is just one simple concept that is totally lost on this irresponsible, self-serving generation. That simple concept brings to mind the first command ever given us: stewardship. But that takes too much thought, work, selflessness (fill in the blank with your favorite virtue). That takes learning from those who have gone before, and caring for those who come after. But we have no thought of the past, and no hope in the future. We are a bastard generation, fathering another bastard generation.
The final lines show the fullest amount of common grace found in this song. Even the devil’s own become an unwitting prophet, declaring the way of truth. “Just keep me where the light is.” I doubt Mayer knows the fullest meaning of this phrase (may God grant that he someday will). Our only hope of salvation from this downward spiral is the Light Himself. This becomes our prayer, “Just keep us where the light is.” Who will accomplish this? Gravity? We have seen his trajectory. Furthermore, gravity resides within. Here Mayer makes his greatest insight, wittingly or not. Help must come. And help, in order to come, must come from outside. The line itself is addressing something/someone outside of the speaker. On top of that, help must come from something/someone in which/whom this ‘gravity’ does not reside.
Our only hope is Light Himself. Light is not affected by gravity. Light does not regard gravity as too great a foe. In fact Light comes to conquer gravity. We could almost say that Light is sent by the Sun for just such an errand.
Come Lord Light, keep us where you are.
Gravity is working against me
And gravity wants to bring me down
Oh I'll never know what makes this man
With all the love that his heart can stand
Dream of ways to throw it all away
Oh Gravity is working against me
And gravity wants to bring me down
Oh twice as much ain’t twice as good
And can't sustain like a one half could
It's wanting more
That's gonna send me to my knees
Oh gravity, stay the hell away from me
And gravity has taken better men than me (Now how can that be?)
Just keep me where the light is
Just keep me where the light is
Just keep me where the light is
Just keep me where the light is
Ohh.. where the light is!
The first thing of note is the title/first word of the song: gravity. This word is a metaphor for nature, unhindered, unconquered. Gravity normally is an outside force working externally. Throughout this song however, it seems to take on a inward role, something inside the singer, working contra to the desires of the singer. It is “working against me” and it “wants to bring me down.”
The inwardness of this ‘gravity’ becomes clearer as the next stanza is sung. “This man…dream[s] of ways to throw it all away.” Those dreams are coming from the inside, and are not a product of external influences. Note the way Mayer describes the affect of this inward gravity: “I’ll never know what makes this man with all the love that his heart can stand dream of ways to throw it all away.” He hits our human nature square on the head, and speaks clearer truth than most Christians have the guts to even think, and does so unaware (to my knowledge) of our natural state of rebellion in Adam. We have been given far more than we could ever ask or think, and what is our natural response, apart from the grace of Christ? Throw it all away, hoping that we can find something more fulfilling in that pile of crap over there. We receive the God of all the heavens and earth, and despise Him so much, that we bow to the ‘more sacred’ gods of wood, stone, and TV.
The next stanza is an insightful note on our contemporary culture. “Twice as much ain’t twice as good, and can’t sustain like one half could. Its wanting more that’s gonna send me to my knees.” Our culture is a culture of gluttony. Gluttony concerns everything, not just food. Gluttony of every appetite: entertainment, sexual, financial, etc. We want it all, and then supersized. We are gluttons, hard and fast (actually more squishy and slow). We seriously think that more is always, and without exception, better. If one portion was good, two is better. If one woman was good, two is better. If one house was good, two is better. To hell with the cost. To hell with the consequences. Damn the torpedos! Full steam ahead! We are a thoughtless, futureless society. We have no notion of heritage or legacy. How do we live so that our children and children’s children live well? Does it matter how we live? Are those generations effected by our present actions? What is this ‘generation’ that you speak of? What is this notion of cause and effect? These are foreign concepts to my modern mind. Legacy? Isn’t that an SUV or something? Do not get me wrong. I am not on some neo-modern hippie crusade, proclaiming the barefooted good news of dreadlocked organic living. There is just one simple concept that is totally lost on this irresponsible, self-serving generation. That simple concept brings to mind the first command ever given us: stewardship. But that takes too much thought, work, selflessness (fill in the blank with your favorite virtue). That takes learning from those who have gone before, and caring for those who come after. But we have no thought of the past, and no hope in the future. We are a bastard generation, fathering another bastard generation.
The final lines show the fullest amount of common grace found in this song. Even the devil’s own become an unwitting prophet, declaring the way of truth. “Just keep me where the light is.” I doubt Mayer knows the fullest meaning of this phrase (may God grant that he someday will). Our only hope of salvation from this downward spiral is the Light Himself. This becomes our prayer, “Just keep us where the light is.” Who will accomplish this? Gravity? We have seen his trajectory. Furthermore, gravity resides within. Here Mayer makes his greatest insight, wittingly or not. Help must come. And help, in order to come, must come from outside. The line itself is addressing something/someone outside of the speaker. On top of that, help must come from something/someone in which/whom this ‘gravity’ does not reside.
Our only hope is Light Himself. Light is not affected by gravity. Light does not regard gravity as too great a foe. In fact Light comes to conquer gravity. We could almost say that Light is sent by the Sun for just such an errand.
Come Lord Light, keep us where you are.
1 comment:
Great post. And great song.
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