* Wake O’Sleeper (Do You Hear The Lions Roar)
Posted on January 19th, 2009 by mdl. Filed under Uncategorized.
This is the video from Riv yesterday, I dig. Soapbox time… I love music, and I want to love “Christian” music, but for so long “Christian” music is uber fluffy, eat rainbows and poop butterflies kind of music. I love this song not only for the content, but the grit.
10 Responses to “Wake O’Sleeper (Do You Hear The Lions Roar)”
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January 19th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Yeah, I know what you mean. I like Jim’s description of, “love songs for Jesus.”
There are only about four Christian songs that I actually like, and those are the ones that really convey passion. This song is similar, and the video is pretty good to boot.
January 19th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
hah, i misread that the first time and read it as eat rainbows and (eat) poop-butterflies.
January 19th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
@brett, its almost better that way but perhaps even more confusing than my poor authoring skills.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
oh golly….dad and I are so proud…
You would have “loved” the days with dad when he was traveling with the Gospel Troubadors. Oh yeah, there was uber fluffy stuff there.
January 21st, 2009 at 10:21 am
Totally agree my friend. If more artist’s in the “Christian” music industry would be blatantly Christian I think it would serve them well. Unfortunately the labels have found that the best cross section of America to market to is girls between the ages of 10 to 15 so you get lame lyrics, lame musical content, and a all around lame sound. I think this has shown itself well within the church and its male attendants. While women still remain mostly content (because they like “love songs”) Men have grown bored with the current setup. This vid grabs us dudes because its gritty, honest and lyrically its not afraid of starting a fight.
January 21st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Maybe I should write some songs and tap into this 10-15 year old girl market.
“In my heart does Jesus dwell,
He makes my heart go lol.
And, like, OMG,
Look at what he means to me”
Sounds like some easy money to me.
January 25th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I am still playing this video quite a bit. For the life of me, I can not hear lyrics in a song so I decided tonight to find them and read along, and came across this website: http://blog.hackingchristianity.net/2008/10/awake-o-sleeper-rise-from-death-video.html
I don’t think he quite got it, but it was interesting to see a slightly different view.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Pete, glad you happened across my blog and found it worthwhile to read! If I can ask, what part of the video did I miss the mark on?
So if “pop” Christian music is too florid for you, how about typical “Praise and Worship” music strike you? It also is aimed at the heart through sunshine and puppy dogs.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
@UMJeremy, when I listened along with your lyrics I think you got the lyrics spot on. I think that your analysis was were Pete started to deviate from your take, “Christ” turning his back, the violence at the end…those points.
I don’t think the “Christ” figure is saddened, nor turning his back on his followers but instead heading to the next group who needs him.
I think that there is no coincidence that the song says “stand with me and we’ll fight the war,” and that there is an uprising at the end of the video. As the song is spiritual, I think the meaning of this is just as spiritual… We are in Christ and standing with him to fight the war, not against our fellow man, but against evil.
Just my thoughts on yours
January 27th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
@UMJeremy Sure thing! What I hear is not just a song wanting unbelievers to come to salvation and be free from the shackles/bondage of sin but also a call to arms. In the lyrics “fight the war” really stands out to me as I remember that, as Christ followers, we are called to fight a spiritual war.
The captor, whom the newly freed captives rise up against, I do not see as a person but instead I see as a symbol of Satan/demons/sin/etc. After being freed from the bonds of sin they join the fight against Satan/whatev. So where it seemed as though you saw violence against a man, I saw a spiritual fight against the Lord’s enemies. I completely agree that those freed looked as though they were filled with anger, but instead of vengeful anger I saw righteous anger.
Additionally, I am not sure that the guy in black was saddened or joyless. Instead, I see a seriousness that overrides any emotion. A sort of, “ok, I’m done here but I’ve got a lot more to do so I better get on it.”
That’s my take on it. I’m glad that you made your way over here and enjoyed the opportunity to share my view.