“I Write the Songs”
Below are lyrics from one of my favorite songs, plus my commentary at the end:
“I Write the Songs“ (written by Bruce Johnston, recorded by Barry Manilow)
And I wrote the very first song
I put the words and the melodies together
I am music, and I write the songs!
“I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs
“My home lies deep within you
And I’ve got my own place in your soul
Now, when I look out through your eyes
I’m young again, even though I’m very old…
“Oh, my music makes you dance
And gives you spirit to take a chance!
And I wrote some rock ‘n’ roll, so you can move!
Music fills your heart, well, that’s a real fine place to start
It’s from you, it’s from me
It’s a worldwide symphony!
I am Music, and I write the songs!”
[Of course, “Music” is not a person, but a literary personification of music. Humans actually write and sing music, and so do whales. And birds (or bird species). In my book of essays about Nature’s Continuing Creation, I discuss a larger, over-arching personification called Mother Nature, or Gaia. Mother Nature (Gaia) is the personification of all the Creative Processes of Nature, including respiration, patterning, flowering, reproduction, sexual mating, fruiting, circulation, and countless others. For more, I refer the reader to Professor Richard O. Prum’s best-selling book, “The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal [and plant] World – and Us.” ]
— J.X. Mason, ContinuingCreation.org