"Our differences do a lot to teach us how to use the tools and gifts we've got."
Although I took two small liberties with the lyric above from I Won't Give Up (2012), my doing so takes nothing away from the message Jason Mraz delivers in his excellent song. These are seventeen words for the ages - i.e., a terse phrase that stands alone, is easy to remember, and conveys a universal truth.
And that universal truth not only applies to love. It also applies to us as a species. Imagine if people embraced and celebrated their differences - race, religion, ethnicity - as a way to teach us how to use the tools and gifts we've got. Isn't it safe to say our world would be a more humane and civil place? I have no idea if Mraz had this larger truth in mind when he composed what sounds to me like a love song. But it doesn't matter. His are words for the ages, regardless.
As always, I welcome your nominations for this series of mine, now in its eighth year. Got a different Jason Mraz lyric you think fits the criteria at the end of the first paragraph above? Or, how about a terse phrase from a song by a different songwriter? For the record, the two minor liberties I took were deleting the word "they" in front of "do" and changing "we" to "we've". Apologies, Jason.
Hey Pat .. Staying with Jason Mark, who I only discovered in/around 2008/2009, I have to go with the first song of his that I heard - 'I'm Yours'. And the second verse (sorry, more than just a line) of that song: ...
ReplyDelete'Well, open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and, damn, you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find
Love, love, love, love
Listen to the music of the moment, people dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our godforsaken right to be
Loved, loved, loved, loved, loved'
I think it may fit in with your blog post for today. But I also have to admit I love the reggae sound he brings to his music.
Be well,
Bob
Hey Bob; I love that Jason Mraz song as well and agree it is a good lyric. If I could've extracted one stand alone, short phrase from the verse you included above, I may have used for my series. As it stands, the lyric I selected has the advantage of being easy to recall in its entirety. Thanks for throwing your hat in the ring.
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