Inspiration Tuesdays - Matisyahu

All music is spiritual to me. If the lyrics don't hold any meaning for me and the sound doesn't make me feel a certain {desired} way, then it doesn't work for me. I've often found it hard to enjoy, what most people would call, religious music. I've found some more modern, "Christian" music that's not bad, and I feel that music that is specifically religious in content has helped strengthen my spirituality.

I've found it more difficult lately to limit myself to religious music that is specifically Christian. I've found music by artists that adhere to other Abrahamic faiths just as inspiring. Matisyahu is one great example of this. He's a Jewish Reggae, often Beatbox artist with Hip Hop undertones. What shines through is his love of God.

(excerpt from King without a Crown)

You're all that I have and you're all that I need

Each and every day I pray to get to know you please

I want to be close to you, yes I'm so hungry

You're like water for my soul when it gets thirsty

Without you there's no me

You're the air that I breathe

Sometimes the world is dark and I just can't see

With these demons surround all around to bring me down to negativity

But I believe, yes I believe, I said I believe

Evangelical music often focuses on Jesus and the New Testament. I sometimes feel like their music is only focusing on one aspect of what we think of as our Holy Trinity, which is great when I want to focus on those aspects of God. Listening to Matisyahu, especially the album Youth, always leaves me contemplating God "the Father" or the "Old Testament" aspects of God.

(excerpt from Time of Your Song)

I don't need to glorify,

Ate the apple of the tree and tried to lie,

In the garden I'll remember

That's when I started to sing

I said death brings life into uncertain things

After telling some Christians about his music, they responded that they have no interest in Jewish spirituality. His music makes my spirits soar. They made me think of God in new ways, but I was also happy to find that we had things in common, times where I could clearly say, "What he's saying in that lyric, that's how I feel too." I can't understand how this is a bad thing.

(excerpt from Silence)

Bring my broken heart to an invisible King with a hope one day you might answer me, so I pray don’t you abandon me.

Your silence kills me; I wouldn’t have it any other way.

His new album, Light seems to have a little more Hip Hop influence. It also has a song that talks about unity among all people. Here's a portion of the lyrics:

(exerpt from One Day)

One day this all will change

Treat people the same

Stop with the violence

Down the the hate

One day we'll all be free

And proud to be

Under the same sun

Singing songs of freedom like

One day

All my life I've been waiting for

I've been praying for

For the people to say

That we don't wanna fight no more

They'll be no more wars

And our children will play

One day

To me, he's talking about Heaven and a God who wants to resurrect it all, to be reconciled to all things and all people. I know Matisyahu is supposed to have a different spirituality than mine, but more and more, it doesn't seem very different at all. Maybe we're just on different pages of the same book.