Thoughts on Mary's Song

Order CDs from:

PasteMusic.com

"Mary's Song" has proven to be the most controversial, and the most misunderstood. Many people assume that it is a slight to Mary, mother of Jesus. Rather, it is a "what if" kind of story. In the Bible we get Mary's initial response to an angelic message of supernatural conception. (In the "New International Version" of the Bible the story is titled "Mary's Song," thus the title of the song.) Her reaction is one of awe and joy and a feeling of being blessed. I wonder if there were other feelings as well. --Maybe some ambivalence. It couldn't have been easy in such a culture to be an unwed mother. People might have been nasty and unbelieving. How did her family react? --Her closest friends? We're not given that insight, but we are told that her fiance, Joseph, was going to divorce her at one point. It is at that point that my song is set. Was there any anger, any shame, any "why me?" Many Christians believe Mary never suffered pain. Some think she never did anything wrong. I challenge these beliefs.

Another critical point in the song is to challenge the way we view unwed mothers today. Whether or not you believe that sex outside of marriage is wrong, there is a stigma attached to women pregnant outside of marriage. This song compares Mary to one of those modern women. It begs the questions, "Can I judge someone? Do I know the full story of their situation? Where is this person's life directed, and what role will I play in it?"

Further, the song anticipates the future for these women. Each chorus ends with the weighty choice -- the women are given something life altering. From now on things are different. --I didn't decide this. I didn't even want this. But here it is. Now what? How will I choose to live? "This morning the wind that woke me opened up a world and said I must be going."

Home | Schedule | News | Albums | Press & Photos