As I listened, I remembered back to when it came out, and how the lyrics touched me… then as now.

It was written by Tony Arata and Wayne Tester, and released by Garth Brooks.

To me, the lyrics speak to the resilience of the human spirit, and a reminder how important it is, to continually strive to make the world a better place… even in small, incremental ways.

I enjoyed listening to it again.

Apparently (it seems) that copies of the video associated with the song have been removed… so you’ll just have to read the inspiring lyrics.

The Change – © Tony Arata & Wayne Tester

One hand
Reaches out
And pulls a lost soul from harm
While a thousand more go unspoken for
They say what good have you done
By saving just this one
It’s like whispering a prayer
In the fury of a storm

And I hear them saying you’ll never change things
And no matter what you do it’s still the same thing
But it’s not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me

This heart
Still believes
The love and mercy still exist
While all the hatred rage and so many say
That love is all but pointless in madness such as this
It’s like trying to stop a fire
With the moisture from a kiss

And I hear them saying you’ll never change things
And no matter what you do it’s still the same thing
But it’s not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me

As long as one heart still holds on
Then hope is never really gone

I hear them saying you’ll never change things
And no matter what you do it’s still the same thing
But it’s not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world we know
Never changes me

What I do is so
This world will know
That it will not change me

And sometimes it is music.

**********

I have a friend who is about 10 years older than me, who has never ‘had any time’ for the LGBT community, and didn’t understand the fight or desire for marriage equality.

He would, offhand, use offensive terms without thinking about it.  When he did it in my presence, I would call him on it, and we would discuss it, and debate the issue.  It usually ended in an “agree to disagree” standoff, with neither of us having changed our points of view.  Over time, he stopped using slurs in my presence, but I believe that was more to avoid the discussion that he knew would follow, rather than a change of heart.

That changed this weekend, as he discovered a video that moved him, and changed his point of view.

The video has over 35 million views… he has listened to it over and over.  He even printed out the lyrics. (They are below the video)

Music can change the world.

Same Love

by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, featuring Mary Lambert:

“Same Love”
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
(featuring Mary Lambert)

When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay,
‘Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight,
I told my mom tears rushing down my face,
She’s like “Ben you’ve loved girls since before pre-k… tripping,”
Yeah, I guess she had a point, didn’t she ?
Bunch of stereotypes all in my head,
I remember doing the math like, “Yeah, I’m good at little league.”
A preconceived idea of what it all meant,
For those that liked the same sex,
Had the characteristics,
The right wing conservatives think it’s a decision,
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion,
Man-made re-wiring of a predisposition,
Playing God, aw nah, here we go,
America the brave still fears what we don’t know,
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten,
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago,
I don’t know,

And I can’t change,
Even if I tried,
Even if I wanted to,
I can’t change,
Even if I try,
Even if I wanted to,
My love,
My love,
My love,
She keeps me warm,
She keeps me warm,
She keeps me warm,
She keeps me warm,

If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me,
Have you read the You-Tube comments lately ?
“Man, that’s gay” gets dropped on the daily,
We become so numb to what we’re saying,
A culture founded from oppression,
Yet we don’t have acceptance for ’em,
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board,
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it,
Gay is synonymous with the lesser,
It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion,
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment,
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins,
It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference !
Live on and be yourself,
When I was at church they taught me something else,
If you preach hate at the service those words aren’t anointed,
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned,
When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless,
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen,
I might not be the same, but that’s not important,
No freedom ’til we’re equal, damn right I support it.

(I don’t know)
And I can’t change,
Even if I tried,
Even if I wanted to,
My love,
My love,
My love,
She keeps me warm,
She keeps me warm,
She keeps me warm,
She keeps me warm,

We press play, don’t press pause,
Progress, march on,
With the veil over our eyes,
We turn our back on the cause,
Till the day that my uncles can be united by law,
When kids are walking ’round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart,
A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are,
And a certificate on paper isn’t gonna solve it all,
But it’s a damn good place to start,
No law is gonna change us,
We have to change us,
Whatever God you believe in,
We come from the same one,
Strip away the fear,
Underneath it’s all the same love,
About time that we raised up,

And I can’t change,
Even if I tried,
Even if I wanted to,
I can’t change,
Even if I try,
Even if I wanted to,
My love,
My love,
My love,
She keeps me warm,
She keeps me warm,
She keeps me warm,
She keeps me warm,
Love is patient,
Love is kind,
Love is patient,
Love is kind,
(I’m not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient,
(I’m not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind,
(I’m not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient,
(I’m not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind,
(I’m not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient,
(I’m not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind,
(I’m not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient,
Love is kind.

Welcome Home !!!

Thanks to Reema Faris for sharing it !!!

I wish at the end they had sung “Merry Christmas to you…” but it is (in comparison to how much I enjoyed it) a small quibble !!!

Merry Christmas !!!

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love music.

“Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.”

William Congreve

Now, I don’t know that this beast is savage… but he sure seems to like music !!!

Merry Christmas, everyone !!!

Vancouver 2011 Post-Riot Citizens’ Wall of Hope #ThisIsMyVancouver from Kurtis Kolt on Vimeo.

After I was done, I went back and played it again, only then realizing the multi-part harmony was all the same guy, overdubbing himself.

Very cleverly done…