This past Saturday, I bought Rickie Lee Jones' latest album, the sermon on exposition boulevard. The lyrics are based on a project begun by Lee Cantelon, to present the words of Jesus in modern rendering. According to this article, Ms. Jones improvised the lyrics after reading a portion of the text.
All I know is, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck the first time I heard the opening track, "Nobody Knows My Name."
The Words is available on-line at The Words. This is not only a modern rendering, the text is arranged thematically. The first chapter, The Problem of Religion, is striking - especially when the words echo what I'm reading/hearing in other sources (e.g., Gary Wills' What Jesus Meant, the Intelligence Square debate, "Is America Too Damn Religious").
Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment