Monday, May 04, 2009

The Power Of Love

11 of the Second Month 5769

I'll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door

Feels like fire
I'm so in love with you
Dreams are like angels
They keep bad at bay-bad at bay
Love is the light
Scaring darkness away-yeah

I'm so in love with you
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

[1]-The power of love
A force from above
Cleaning my soul
Flame on burn desire
Love with tongues of fire
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

I'll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door
When the chips are down I'll be around
With my undying, death-defying
Love for you

Envy will hurt itself
Let yourself be beautiful
Sparkling love, flowers
And pearls and pretty girls
Love is like an energy
Rushin' rushin' inside of me

[Repeat 1]

This time we go sublime
Lovers entwine-divine divine
Love is danger, love is pleasure
Love is pure-the only treasure

I'm so in love with you
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

The power of love
A force from above
Cleaning my soul
The power of love
A force from above
A sky-scraping dove

Flame on burn desire
Love with tongues of fire
Purge the soul
Make love your goal

I'll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door


Holly Johnson and Paul RutherfordA beautiful poem, no?

These words are also the lyrics to one of my favorite, slow songs, "The Power Of Love," by Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1983), not the first musical group which comes to mind when reading the content of Esser Agaroth. In fact, many of you will cower when you see this group's photos and read its bio.

So is it hakhmath hagoyim (non-Jewish wisdom)? Or is it a foreign influence from which we must withdraw.

I don't exactly struggle with this question, but I do go back and forth on the proper approach to it constantly.

Would I say to some kid from the Me'ah She'arim neighborhood, "Hey, come with me to a concert." No, of course not.

Would I share song lyrics as poetry with a 30-year-old, hassidishe friend in B'nei Braq who has an interest in music. Yeah, I might. Is that bad?

Not only would I be careful about sharing the music, but also the content of the lyrics. But would that lead him to investigate Western culture and popular music further? And, then where would that lead him?

Maybe it's just OK for someone like me who was already exposed to such music in Southern California (and for my frum friends from New York, London and Antwerp who were exposed to the same), and survived relatively unscathed. Or is it?

Just how powerful is the power of love?

Please opine below.

3 comments:

Altie said...

Love is the greatest power of all. It has the ability to conquer, and transform, all evil.
That was a beautiful poem/song, too bad you didn't write it. Try though, you might come up with something as good, or better.
Whether or not you choose to share these things with ultra-frum people is not the question. No, it's not your place to 'educate' them, but you can't protect them from themselves either. Just don't expose them to stuff they wouldn't expose themselves too.
I have a friend who once told me, I wouldn't invite you to the movies with me, unless you already go yourself, because I wouldn't want to be the cause of your downfall.
But anyway, love the poem.

Esser Agaroth said...

Altie,

Thanks for your comment.

I appreciate it.

These days I go back and forth on whether this is a complicated issue, or whether it's actually quite simple.

I do write poetry, but not for years, and not something I intend to share on this blog. Sorry. :-}

But, I can certainly share my appreciation for the poetry of others.

Altie said...

I think it's simple, in theory. But then again, everything is simple theoretically.
Too bad about your poetry. I'd love to see some. Unless they are personal, and you have a reason to keep them private.
I love writing poetry. Check out my blog
from-the-holy-land.blogspot.com I have some good ones there.

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