Goddamned Saint
Discovering Redemption: A Tale of Transformation in 'Goddamned Saint'
Lyrics
Once upon softer times
Reflecting on a past, more gentle era
I met a man
Encounter with a man
Who'd made some records I admired
Man made records admired by the speaker
Though he wrote like a sinner
Man wrote in a way that seemed sinful
As far as I could understand
Difficulty understanding the man's perspective
From the front pew of my choir
Speaker's position in the choir
But now I watched
Observing the man's actions
As he walked the walk
The man's behavior aligns with his beliefs
Like a goddamned saint
The man acts like a saint
And one of the walls I'd built
Speaker's emotional barriers breaking down
Around what I thought I felt came tumbling down
Walls around the speaker's feelings collapsing
And a trickle of light shone in
A glimmer of understanding enters
From somewhere I hadn't been
Speaker experiences something unfamiliar
Since I'd been told to quit poking around
Directed to stop exploring certain thoughts
As if God himself were saying
God's reassurance to proceed
Go on, it'll be ok
Encouragement from a divine perspective
You've got a goddamned saint with you now
Confirmation of the man's saintly nature
Thus upon softer times
Reflecting on a return to a softer time
We bared our souls
Mutual sharing of vulnerabilities
In the good old-fashioned hope
Hoping to change each other positively
Of changing one another
Recitation of moral stories
I recited parables
Speaker's openness in sharing
And he listened with an openness
The man listens with openness
I heard
Clear understanding conveyed non-verbally
As clear as any words
Equivalent to preaching or praying
He could've preached or prayed
Do not fear this world
Strength in relinquishing weapons
And it will bring you strength
Symbolic dismantling of emotional barriers
To lay down your sword and shield
Remaining walls around feelings collapse
And the other three walls I'd built
Flood of understanding and illumination
Around what I thought I felt came tumbling down
Invitation to explore together
And a torrent of light shone in
Curiosity leading to a positive experience
He said are you coming, friend?
Speaker's decision to explore further
I said what the hell and went poking around
Choosing to explore like a saint
Like a goddamned saint
Who lives to seek
Pursuing beliefs with a testing mindset
And seeks to test what they believe
Challenges and hardships emerge
But then times got harder
Choir and thoughts affected negatively
I find my choir has ceased to think
Refusal to engage with differing opinions
And my thoughts have ceased to sing
Loss of harmony in thoughts
Cause I won't even have a drink
Resistance to socializing with dissenters
With anyone who disagrees
Ignoring the source of one's beliefs
Like I've forgotten
Forgetting the origin of one's principles
That the well I'm drawing from
Foundation from disagreements
Springs from disagreements
Well-spring sourced from conflicts
With people who believe
Beliefs shaped by opposing views
That we can only change someone as much
Change is possible with openness
As we're willing to be changed
Mutual willingness for transformation
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