During the Hebrew month of Elul, the month proceeding Rosh Hashanah, I usually spend some time in contemplation. I think over the past year, and I try to find ways that I can do more for, or behave better toward, the people in my life and society. This year, however, it has been especially hard because of the isolation due to the pandemic, and the devastation that the pandemic and certain recent governmental actions have caused so many. Feeling discouraged, I spent a few hours listening to broadway show tunes. As I listened to the songs, to my surprise, I found inspiration through the tunes and lyrics.
I realized that my feelings of discouragement are common feelings as I listened to the beautiful “Old Man River” from “Showboat”. Old man river is life, or eternity, or maybe God, flowing along as we try to deal with life’s hardships. As the lyrics say, “I get weary and sick of trying, I’m tired of living and scared of dying, but Old Man River, he just keeps rolling along.”
Listening to the song “Close Every Door to Me”, I was reminded that there can be hope even in difficult circumstances. The biblical character Joseph sings this song in Rice and Webber’s interpretation of the biblical story. While imprisoned Joseph sings, “Close every door to me, keep those I love from me, Children of Israel are never alone, for I know we shall find our own peace of mind, for we have been promised a land of our own.” His hope lies in God’s promise that we will arrive where we need to be, not only physically, but spiritually, as we find peace of mind.
The title song from “On a Clear Day” inspired me to realize that I can find my place in the universe if I take the time to stop and look around and to appreciate the beauty and eternity of the earth. “On a clear day, rise and look around you, and you’ll see who you are...you’ll feel part of every mountain sea and star, you can hear from far and near a world you’ve never seen before. And in a clear day, on a clear day you can see for ever and ever more.”
As I listened to more songs I found others that reminded me of the beauty of life and the sweetness of our blessings. “The Rhythm of Life” from “Sweet Charity” with its catchy tune and Chorus lyrics, reminded me of
the vibrancy of life, “The rhythm of life is a powerful beat, puts a tingle in your fingers and and a tingle in you feet,...to feel the rhythm of life, to feel the powerful beat, to feel the tingle in your fingers, to feel the tingle in your
feet...”
“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, ...snowflakes that stay on your nose and eye lashes, white silver winters that turn into springs, these are a few of my favorite things.” These are lyrics from “Sound is Muic’s” “Favorite Things”. They are familiar to most of us, but still serve as a reminder that blessings can be found in simple things.
Listening to songs at random, I was surprised to find that some quirky upbeat sings inspired me. The character who sings “Cockeyed Optimist” in “South Pacific” is a wartime nurse who remains optimistic. “They say the human race is falling on its face and doesn’t have too far to go..,.but I’m stuck like a dope with a thing called hope and I can’t get it out of my heart, not this heart.”
Even the song “Put On a Happy Face“ from “Bye Bye Birdie”, which puts a catchy to to that common expression, was an inspiration. It reminded me that the simple act of looking pleasant, despite our problems, can improve the world around us. “Pick out a pleasant outlook, lift up that noble chin, wipe off that full of doubt look, slap on a happy grin, and spread sunshine all over the place, just put on a happy face.”
When I listened to the lyrics of “ As Long as he needs Me” from “Carousel”, I heard the lyrics differently than I had heard them before. As a young girl, I had heard only the promise of undying romance. Now I heard the value of being steadfast to another even in hard times. I thought gratefully of good friends and living relatives, who have supported me during a long degenerative illness. I also thought of those who still need me, especially my grandchildren who have turned to me for comfort and support, even if only on Facebook, during this pandemic. I realized that I should be present for them for as long as I can. “As long as he needs me, that’s where I’ll always be, to cling on steadfastly, as long as he needs me.”
The times require us to be here too. If we can do nothing else, we can support and vote for leaders who will seek justice and harmony in our land.
In the musical “South Pacific” the characters struggle with the life and death issues that the war brings. As Americans, they also struggle with racism, as we do today. Oscar Hammerdtein’s brilliant song “You Have to be Carefully Taught” provides his perspective on racism.
“You have to be taught to hate and fear, it has to be taught from year to year, it has to be drilled in your dear little ear, you have to be carefully taught. You have to be taught to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made, and people who’s skin is a different shade, you have to be carefully taught.”
At this point in my life, when I am usually home, it’s hard to think what I can do to fight racism. Another song from Sweet Charity reminded me that there must be something I can do if I think about it. I can talk to my grandchildren about racism and history, and recommend books they can read. Although the song “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” is sung in the movie by taxi dancers trying to improve their lives, the lyrics of determination inspired me to think how I can do better. As the song says, “There’s gotta be something better than this, there’s gotta be something more I can do, and when I find me something better to do, I’m gonna get up, I’m gonna get ou, I’m gonna get up, get out and do it.”
The song “Brotherhood of Man” from “Hoe to Succeed” made me realize that even if I can’t do as much as others, I should still try to do my best. I was surprised to hear a line of the song that says “mediocrity is not a mortal sin”. I love that line. It reminded me of the liturgy that says that God does not expect us to be as great as Moses, only to be our best selves. The song goes on to conclude that all of us (whether our abilities are great or mediocre) are part of “the Brotherhood of man”. As such we should be “dedicated to doing all we can” because of the “noble tie that binds all human hearts and minds.” The peppy beat and lyrics of the song gave me hope. And so I conclude this story of how show tunes inspired me with these aspirational” lyrics,
“Your lifelong membership is free, keep on giving each brothers all you can. Oh aren’t you proud to be, in that fraternity, the great big brother hood of man.
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