Sadly, a forgotten message - Golden Ribbons

I know most people have forgotten this song, but spring's post on "The Boxer" got me thinking about the music I remembered that mattered. The message of this song by Jim Messina, while ostensibly about the war in Vietnam and those who sponsored it, says a whole lot more.

There's no comparison to the pop and rap "music" that's put out there now - which has no message worth hearing and nothing to touch the soul.

Quote :

Listen to the people crying
Hoping for the day they'll be free
I don't have to tell you we're (they're) dying
Just wake up, take a look, what do You see?
I see young men my own age in coffins
And mothers in tears for their sons
And sweethearts and wives
Alone with their memories
And golden ribbons those fortunes of war
Thousands and thousands
Shall gather together
To seek and find the Way we all need
And the Son will bring (backhanded glory) us together
Hallelujah
and rid ourselves of the pain we all see
We see young men our own age in coffins
And Mothers in tears for their sons
And sweethearts and wives
Alone with their memories
And golden ribbons those fortunes of war
What does it avail a man
To gain a fortune
And lose his soul?

Loggins & Messina, yet another great group from my days gone past. Here's my favorite L&M song ever. It reminds me of innocence lost and carefree days of the past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G5x3fpfpFI

Now you've done it, researcher.  You've started that nostalgia trail. Innocence? I remember when I was 16 at boarding school listening to Loggins & Messina endlessly, especially the following songs. I was afraid that I was about to become a statistic, due to someone I met on a return trip home, named Roger.    It didn't happen but sadly, he did become a statistic eventually, as a junkie, due to heroin.  God was merciful to me then, though I never was able to have a family. Who know where we'll end up?  How did I find Christ and he found nothing but misery and death?  I suppose I shouldn't confess this on a "Christian forum" but we all have pasts, don't we?  That's what grace is all about, and why God will have to wipe the tears from our eyes in that time.



and

All that's being posted hits so close to home. While I no longer listen to "classic rock" some songs just instantly transport one back to, as Researcher said, a time of innocence. These L&M songs, the Doobie Bros, James Taylor, Cat Stevens etc, are so ingrained into my mind, after hour upon hour of listening to them, most of the time, stoned. This music was my "god" and I had a need for nothing else in my life.
How things change!

Billetman, hi!   You know I think a LOT of us went through that phase. Mine was Yes and Rush  and headphones for hours, just listening and also stoned. lol But after my teen years were over I moved on.
 I still, always remember those years with fondness and in a way as the best years of my life. NOstalgia paints everything a nice hazy golden color in my memories.  

But I did actually, buy meet and greet tickets for the Yes show here in August. I will get to finally meet my fav. band after all these years. It's not perfect, Jon Anderson won't be there, but I'm not complaining.

Delfi wrote:

Billetman, hi!   You know I think a LOT of us went through that phase. Mine was Yes and Rush  and headphones for hours, just listening and also stoned. lol But after my teen years were over I moved on.
 I still, always remember those years with fondness and in a way as the best years of my life. NOstalgia paints everything a nice hazy golden color in my memories.  

But I did actually, buy meet and greet tickets for the Yes show here in August. I will get to finally meet my fav. band after all these years. It's not perfect, Jon Anderson won't be there, but I'm not complaining.

I also liked Yes, but was more of a Moody Blues/Pink Floyd kinda guy.
For me, being saved opened up an entire new genre of music that I had never heard. Prior to that I would NEVER listen to any group labeled as Christians. Now, with the advent of internet radio, I have an entire universe of music available that I've never heard before and some of it is awfully good! Sometimes I'll hear a song for the first time that I really like, and when I research it, it turns out it was from 2002. It's all new to me.
On a side note, I recently bought a Grace internet receiver, and  after selecting the music genre I wanted (contemporary Christian) it loaded 315 stations! Whole new world!

A couple of favorites are from Tree63 from South Africa:

Now that is a Joyful noise! I will be adding that to my iTunes acct but what is this grace receiver you speak of?  And thanks for the new music.

Delfi: here's the one that I got, but I think it's discontinued. I bought mine on Ebay and it was used, but you'd never know it. Grace makes many other models that are available. You can receive literally 10's of thousands of internet stations wirelessly.
http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Digital-GDI-IRD4500m-Performance-Internet/dp/B004YI7SNG/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_opt?ie=UTF8