Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Our Lady of Love

To listen to Our Lady Of Love, click here




I was on holiday in Spain with my family when we drove in to San Sebastian, a beautiful fishing town on the northern coast, with steep cliffs above the beach. On top of the cliff, seen from the distance, there appeared to be a statue of the Madonna, predominant as the Jesus above Rio de Janeiro and a melody that had been playing in my head for days suddenly found itself with lyrics. While my wife and daughters swam, I went off to explore it. A narrow path zigzagged through the trees, and at every ten yards another couple transformed it into a lovers’ lane. Used condoms were planted in the hedgerows. Variations upon Romeo loves Juliet were scrawled over the base of the statue. The Canaanites could have been copulating beneath the trees in this sacred grove of Astarte, who turned out not be Astarte after all, nor any other version of Our Lady, but a stone Jesus after all. But it was still magnificent, and by the time I discovered it, half the song was already written in my head.




There’s a light on the hill when the angels pass by

Where the sun and the moon embrace in the sky

A cold marble statue stands facing the sea

In a Paradise garden for lovers-to-be

It’s a shrine made of kisses - but there’s never enough

It’s a home in the world for Our Lady of Love



And this is the blessing and this is the curse

May she bind up the scars of this torn universe

At the apex of longing, on the mount of desire

May her kisses bear fruit her caresses inspire

May she give you the wax may she give you the seal

May she honour the contract of healer and healed



In the glow of her beauty that light on the hill

Ten thousand years old and yet visible still

Such eloquent silence such memorable calm

Your heart in its stillness serene as a psalm

And the lovers’ graffiti cannot even smudge

This statue so perfect Our Lady of Love



And this is the blessing and this is the spell

On all who love badly the few who love well

May Our Lady protect you may she cradle your heart

When your lips come together when your limbs move apart

May she bind up the wounds of the women and the men

May she keep you together, forever, and forever, amen.










If you would like to include "Our Lady Of Love" in your repertoire, either for paid public performance or to record for commercial purposes, or if you would like to re-use the recordings attached to this blog-page for commercial purposes, contact argaman@theargamanpress.com. 
Use of this song, and/or these recordings, for non-commercial purposes, is not simply permitted but invited.

Words and music by David Prashker
Copyright © 2014 David Prashker


All rights reserved


The Argaman Press

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