How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths)


The Smiths' How Soon Is Now? is iconic. Check out the lyrics. Certainly not a run-of-the-mill 80s song. It came out in '84 but didn't pick up steam until later. Do the lyrics make more sense when you know Morrissey (the singer/coauthor of this song) is vegetarian (since age 11) turned vegan? No wonder so much of his music is sad and "beta," as the kids would say. (Eating meat helps men produce testosterone.) Maybe that's why I want to talk about this song. It's about longing. It's about love. It's about longing for love. Saw a license plate recently that simply said, "SIMP," which I understand. 

I realized perhaps too late in life the driving force of my being was the search for love. Just wanted to be loved. Looked everywhere for it. That search was behind all major failures and was the wound that drove the most virulent sins. Little did I know there is no human love that can satisfy, and only God can love me fully and in a way that heals. Been healing for quite some time now, but only recently did God deal with a hidden sin that was holding me back from moving forward with Him. Complaining of being stuck for years did nothing. Doing what God told me to do started the mountain crumbling — a breakthrough I pray continues. 

The original version of this song is 7 minutes long, if you can imagine. The video wasn't approved by the band, and they were nearly kicked off their label, so fierce was their complaining. Their fans didn't get it either. My complaint is it doesn't tell a story. It's unrelated images juxtaposed in a confusing way. Probably a little too much like real life and a little too little like "art." Seems to fit the emo aesthetic, if you ask me. I understand using live footage of the band, but they also look like goons, like the person who made the video didn't even like The Smiths. 

Talked quite a bit with my church's pastor recently. I believe we all have a wound and that wound drives both our sins and saintly deeds throughout our lives. Which way we go with that wound is what determines the quality of our lives. Go to God with it and it often turns into something beautiful and worthwhile. Go to the devil and it turns into something hideous, painful, and deforming, our sin mocking us. In any case, and I'm still praying about it, I think these conversations were the nail in the coffin of me going to that church. (No plan as of yet about attending another church.) 

One thing about the song is I heard they had trouble playing it live because the guitar parts were so delicate. It reminded me of The Edge (U2 guitarist) when the band asked him to replay a guitar part he had done some time before, and he realized he couldn't because it went through 10 different processors and he wasn't set up for it. Such is the life of a rock guitarist. They do things with their fingers I can't do, but also they go beyond and send sound through magic rabbit holes and out comes stuff like this track. Consider me a fan. 

Morrissey was born to Irish immigrants while living in England, which may help to explain some of his music. Far be it from me to put someone else under a microscope. Putting myself under a microscope on this blog was enough introspection for a lifetime. I'm going to go roll around on the living room carpet in the sunshine now. Take care, everyone. 

***

I apologize if I depicted Cindy, the girl I wrote about so much, as being a victim of what she went through. Did not mean to show her in that light. I never saw her as such, only as an overcomer and perhaps survivor. She is incredibly strong and resilient and is a woman who follows her convictions and faith to the letter. That's how I see her and how I intended to show her on these pages. 

Something I added late to my last post: Realized something while reading the book of Ruth, and that is that she basically asked Boaz to marry her, at the urging of her mother-in-law. She was widely regarded as a virtuous woman, yet she set the ball in motion to marry Boaz. Yes, godly women can make it clear what they want when it comes to relationships and marriage. The book of Ruth is a wonderful picture of how God redeemed His people and married His Bride (the church), so it's a wrinkle on that, as well. 

Thank you for reading. And God bless.

And my other blog, None Dare Call It Treason.

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