| Dustin Kensrue – Blood & Wine Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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yes indeed, laidbackdude's interpretation is the same one i saw i think it's interesting though why he chose blood and wine. i'm not familiar with "blood clots and black holes" that was mentioned earlier, but the only thing that i can think of is that he started with the phrase "tasting blood" and then just chose something that had similar qualities to blood except not as thick. i actually don't see a reference to Christ at all in this song, he just simply grows tired of the "wine" and moves onto the next thing. as for the phrase "taste blood," it's commonly known that sharks have a highly developed sensoring system and can taste blood in the water, follow it back to it's source, and attack the injured prey. but i also heard once from a pig farmer (i'm from the midwest) that when a pig tastes blood, it goes into a "blood rage" and starts going crazy. i heard a story about a man who was almost trampled by a swarm of pigs that had tasted blood. interesting... |
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| Dustin Kensrue – Please Come Home Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| i think what makes it so amazing is that it's told from the point of view of the father. although this parable has inspired many songs (even a handful from the point of view of the father), it's still very moving because it's such a relatable story. | |
| Dustin Kensrue – Consider the Ravens Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Wow, hemsi, if you could provide us with links to those interviews, that would be really awesome. Because i actually see this song as a really mature, developed Christian message. And it's clear from the numerous Biblical references (in this song and all his songs), Dustin has a very complete knowledge of the Bible. For example, I see in this song references to 1 Kings 17 1-6, Luke 12:24, Psalm 23:4 Song of Solomon 2:4, and maybe others... Nonetheless, I will offer my interpretation of this song. I actually see this song as Dustin admitting to how much he tries to do things on his own instead of trusting on God. The first and third verses can be summed up as the "Sin of Worry" (www.realtime.net/~wdoud/topics/worry.html). Dustin has so much on his mind ("bills to pay/taxman on my tail" and "evil's all around/ it's coming from the right and the left") that he can't even sleep at night ("everything's lost/ i'm moaning, i'm tossed"). I'm sure we've all felt this way before, when we get so overwhelmed with things that we can't fall asleep. And how do we resond? The typical way is to pray that "the check's in the mail." In other words, we think of God as some special genie that will give us the things that we want when we think to ask for them. But Dustin clearly does not adhere to this opinion. "Between the river and the ravens I'm fed" is, as was mentioned earlier, a reference to Elijah from 1 Kings 17. By making this reference, Dustin is saying, "Why am I worrying? God already promised to provide all these things. Even if I don't see them right now, I know that I am fed." But even Dustin sees this as hard to believe. "So father give me faith" is Dustin's prayer to God to say that I don't need the thing right now, I just need faith to know that you will provide for all my needs. If I'm reading the lyrics right, Dustin has a surprising amount of hope that God will respond. "Trust that I will see/ the glory above/oh, your banner of love/ flies over me," which is a reference to Song of Solomon 2:4, is Dustin talking to God telling Him to just wait, he will see God's love for him in due time. How many times have we said this to people who are worried about us? "Trust me, I will see how helpful you've been to me in awhile, even though I don't see it right now." The second verse can be summed up as the "Sin of Sloth" (http://trushare.com/33FEB98/FE98SLTH.HTM) or idleness. In this sin, it's not that we're lazy - in fact, we might be really busy! It's just that we are focused (or busy) with the wrong things and, as a result, we don't grow. God has gifted us with talents and abilities that he wishes to use for His Kingdom and it isn't until we freely give up those gifts to Him ("I've learned to let the wind/pull me where it will") that we will experience freedom in Him. Finally, the title of the song (Consider the Ravens) is a reference to, as was mentioned earlier, Luke 12:24. In this parable, Jesus is telling his disciples not to worry. He does this by saying that God gives even the ravens the things that they need - if God loves you more than birds, why do you think he will not follow through for you? Yes, this song is marked by doubt and even a lack of faith. But, as Jesus made it clear in Matthew 17:20, it's not the SIZE of the faith that is important because even a mustard seed-sized amount of faith is enough. Instead, it's where your faith is: is your faith in your ability to please God? Is it in your own righteousness? Or is your faith in the fact that God loves you even in complete knowledge of what you do, and will provide for you? Even though we might not see it, we can take confidence from scripture that God cares more about us than even we do. And it seems to me that Dustin understands this. |
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| Dustin Kensrue – Blanket of Ghosts Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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When I heard this song at first, I was confused, as well. But the more I listened to it, the interpretation that I got was very similar to The Neenja's. The first stanza is Dustin admitting his struggles with sin. He quotes Paul (called "dear old St. Paul) from Romans 7:15 "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." When we first hear the chorus, we are a bit confused to the connection as to what it has with the first verse, but it becomes clearer after the second verse. In the second verse, Dustin offers his ideas on how to deal with it. First, he mentions what we all try to do: implement rules on ourselves. "I want to kiss your lips but I'll kiss your cheek." This is a common technique that many of us try, but, as Dustin points out with the line, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is so weak," it usually can only last a for a short time until we give into sexual temptation. This is where the last two lines of the second verse and the chorus are extremely important. "Just hear my request give this one on fair way/ Please take me home before it's too late," and "Bury me deep, covered in snow/ Wrap me in sleep with blankets of ghosts" are both clear references to death. I believe that Dusin is crying out in this song, "God, I've resisted temptation for this long, now take me home to paradise before it's too late (and I give into temptation)." This same sentiment was reflected in Job 6. As we know from Job 1-2, he was a completely blameless man, but God chose to give him suffering. At the time, the predominant viewpoint of suffering was that "suffering was a direct result of you sinning." So, naturally, Job's friends were telling him to repent of his sins and his suffering will end. But Job did not understand because in his heart he knew he hadn't sinned. Then, in Job 6:8-10, he states: Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off! Then I would still have this consolation - my joy in unrelenting pain - that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. In other words, it is better for me to die now, while I've kept God's commands, because the temptation is growing stronger and stronger and I don't know how much longer I can hold out. This is a difficult reality to face, but Dustin's hope in heaven is much greater than any of the fleeting pleasures that this world has to offer. It is a song of hope, but it's a hope not of this earth. "Wake me when it's springtime in heaven/when the tears are all wiped from my face/Wake me when it's springtime in heaven/when I'm strong enough to walk in that place." Notice how Dustin's hope is in heaven, not on this earth. This is my interpretation. |
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