Monday, August 30, 2010

Blackbird Sh'ma Lullaby

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

My mom must have been a bit of a hippie chick back in the day, because she used to sing me this lullaby every night before I went to sleep. Then she would sing me the traditional Sh'ma prayer:

Sh'ma, Yisrael, Adonai Elo-hainu, Adonai Echad.
(and in a whisper:) Baruch Shem K'vod Malchuto L'Olam Va'ed.

Even as a child, or maybe especially as a child, I loved the fusion of the two songs. The McCartney was quiet, spare, mysterious. The Sh'ma was simple, bold, and authoritative - it came in big block letters. I was fascinated by the shapes these two songs made as they crossed paths in my mind.


1 comment: