Thinking in Lyrics (June)

By Jan Hansen

I often find myself thinking in song lyrics. This is one in a series of short articles about some songs and a few of the thoughts that they prompt in me. None of these songs were written for a faith-based setting, but all of them have some elements that relate to faith, philosophy, or world view.

You Have Loved Enough (Leonard Cohen)

Two lines jump out at me from this song. The first is “I am not the one who loves, it’s love that seizes me.” I love the sense that love is something that is larger than I am, something that is not my choice, and sweeps me away. I see parallels with faith, where it is not necessarily a choice, but can seize hold of a person. So whether or not we are a person of faith may not be because of any choice that we are making.

The second is, “You have loved enough, now let me be the lover.” I spent decades working in a caring profession, and know the experience of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. To someone who cares so much that it hurts, the thought that someone else will step forward, and allow you to step back for a moment, comes with tremendous relief.

You can listen to the song by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOF1zIDFz00&list=RDlOF1zIDFz00&start_radio=1