Heaven's Got The Blues

3 years ago
58

CONCEPT

The basic idea behind this song was that I wanted to do a blues song around the shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). What could be more bluesy than that, right?
The musical inspiration (most of the "cool" licks) for the song comes from "Blues for Big Nate" by Jerry Portnoy. So, I have to acknowledge his work and influence on this piece. He's truly a master of the harp. I'm but a learner.
While it's no musical masterpiece and you'll never hear it on the "Top 20", I hope it's at least not a musical train wreck. Special thanks to my wife and daughter for "proof-listening" providing a listener's feedback during editing.
The lyrics are Bible-centric. The opening verse focuses on the happenings of John 11. Jesus' friend, Lazarus had died, but Jesus said he was merely sleeping. I think Jesus said this to emphasize something he would later say at Lazarus' funeral. There Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will never die. So, in Jesus's way of thinking, Lazarus was not dead. Of course, Jesus also planned to raise him from the dead once he arrived at the funeral. Nevertheless, it is interesting that, upon arriving at the funeral, Jesus wept.
The remaining three verses all speak of Jesus's crucifixion, death, and subsequent resurrection (further proving his claim to be THE "resurrection"). The reference to the "bulls of Bashan" comes from Psalm 22, which Jesus quoted while on the cross, when he exclaimed, "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?!" Since it's the "blues", I was tempted to end it after the third verse (Jesus's death), but I just couldn't, because it wasn't the end of the story. So, I added the final verse which show's who ultimately ended up being stuck with the blues. Hope you enjoy...

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