There is freedom within, there is freedom without,
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup,
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost,
But you'll never see the end of the road,
While you're travelling with me.
Most songs have a depth of spiritual meaning and truth. Crowded House's, Don't Dream It's Over (1986) is no exception. But, what does this song of Crowded House's mean? I've thought long and hard and tried to make head and tail of it.
My impressions of the song's spirituality of love:
- Freedom-the freedom of heart and mind--is ever-present, if we want it so. Paul said, "I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am." -Philippians 4:11b (Amplified). Freedom is self-sufficiency.
- Despite the odds of this couple splitting up, he's determined that walls won't come between them. The virtue of faithfulness and commitment is on display.
- There's a method to the love proposed here. The method is deliberate and intentional--he's got a one-track mind for her.
- The couple face an uphill struggle for their relationship, and whilst they know there are battles that will be waged, some of which will be lost, they hold out to the hope that they'll never let each other go.
- As a female partner, she needs to know her man is up for the test and won't shirk the challenges-this is where the depth of the man in the man is tested.
There's a fact that the emotions of the spiritual are keyed in at these moments when the extremes of life hit us in parallel. Somehow the normal lazy humour and the ho-hum approach don't cut it; it takes a serious demeanour as if our very lives are at stake--and often they are... our spiritual lives and our wellbeing.
This is why we're attracted to such songs. They cut through the garbage of non-truth in our lives. The meaning to such songs is what we need at these stark times.
© S. J. Wickham, 2009.