Hold on Hope

A dear friend shared this song with me tonight.  She told me it reminds her of her brother, who was killed several years ago, and she cannot listen to it without it “stirring the very core” of her being.

This is what music can do for us.  It’s more than just a memory associated with a particular song.  The physical qualities of the melody, hearing the words and understanding the meaning, awaken in us things that cannot be easily described.  The songs from my mother’s funeral are like this.  The songs we listened to as Taylor and I fell in love are like this.

This is a song of hope and overcoming struggle–making it to the end of the journey despite all manner of insurmountable obstacles.  It’s about carrying on.

Have a listen.  Here are the words:

The Cave by Mumford and Sons

It’s empty in the valley of your heart.
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you’ve left behind.

The harvest left no food for you to eat,
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see.
But I have seen the same,
I know the shame in your defeat.

But I will hold on hope!
And I won’t let you choke
On the noose around your neck.
And I’ll find strength in pain!
And I will change my ways.
I’ll know my name as it’s called again.

Cause I have other things to fill my time.
You take what is yours and I’ll take mine.
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind.

So tie me to a post and block my ears.
I can see widows and orphans through my tears.
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears.

But I will hold on hope!
And I won’t let you choke On the noose around your neck.
And I’ll find strength in pain!
And I will change my ways!
I’ll know my name as it’s called again.

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down.
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker’s hand.

So make your siren’s call,
And sing all you want!
I will not hear what you have to say.
‘Cause I need freedom now,
And I need to know how
To live my life as it’s meant to be.

And I will hold on hope!
And I won’t let you choke
On the noose around your neck.
And I’ll find strength in pain!
And I will change my ways!
I’ll know my name as it’s called again.