What I want[1]“Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you.”
I want now[2]“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. -Matt. 6:21; 3 Nephi 12:21
And it’s a whole lot more
Than “anyhow”[3]I was a late-comer to Marquee Moon, only getting into the 1977 masterpiece a few years ago while I was interviewing for tenure-track positions across the country. Hence, I will always associate this … Continue reading
I want to fly[4]“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles” -Isaiah 40:31
Fly a fountain[5]“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” -John 7:37
I want to jump, jump, jump
Jump a mountain[6]“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” … Continue reading
I understand all[7]“And by the power of the Holy Spirit, you shall know the truth of all things.” -Moroni 10:6, I see no
Destructive urges[8]God is a creator, not a destroyer–and we are to be like God, in a most literal sense., I see no
It seems so perfect[9]Perfection is ostensibly what we are seeking, even though it will not be achieved in this life. But then, as Bruce R. McConkie (of all people) surprisingly said, it is one of the lies of Satan that … Continue reading, I see no
I see, I see no, I see no evil[10]Isn’t this why as kids in Church we were instructed to never watch R-rated movies, or view pornography, or only engage in “uplifting” television and literature or whatever? Oh, but … Continue reading
I get ideas[11]“A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you…” -Joseph Smith
I get a notion
I want a nice little boat
Made out of ocean[12]That is, he wants the infinity of the ocean contained in a small space; but then, what are we if not eternal potential contained in a tiny, mortal body? For this cause we know both that “man … Continue reading
I get your point
You’re so sharp
Getting good reactions
With your BeBo[13]You 2000s kids will recall that there was briefly a social media platform–that at its height, competed with MySpace at its height–called BeBo. Whether the service was named for this song … Continue reading talk
I understand all, I see no
Destructive urges, I see no
It seems so perfect, I see no
I see, I see no, I see no evil
Don’t say unconscious[14]“Awake! and arise from the dust…” -2Nephi 1:14; that is, do not sleep unconsciously through this life, but be awake and alert–like this song.
No don’t say doom.[15]“Yes, we know that Armageddon is coming; but then so is Adam-ondi-Ahman!” -Neal A. Maxwell. Yes, we all know these are the “Latter-days,” but could we all lighten up a bit? … Continue reading
If you got to say it
Let me leave this room
Cuz what I want
I want now
And it’s a whole lot more
Than “anyhow”
I understand all, I see no
Destructive urges, I see no
It seems so perfect, I see no
I see, I see no, I see no evil
I’m runnin wild[16]Enoch then went forth and preached in a loud voice, but the people were offended because of him, and said, “A wild man hath come among us.” -Moses 6:38 with the one I love
I see no evil
I’m runnin wild with the one-eyed ones[17]“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” -Matt. 6:22; 3 Nephi 12:22
I see no evil
Pull down the future with the one you love
Pull down the future[18]I did land one of those all-too-rare tenure-tracks against all odds, by the way, and married the one I love while I was at it; I pulled down the future.
References
| ↑1 | “Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. -Matt. 6:21; 3 Nephi 12:21 |
| ↑3 | I was a late-comer to Marquee Moon, only getting into the 1977 masterpiece a few years ago while I was interviewing for tenure-track positions across the country. Hence, I will always associate this album with driving a rental to colleges all over California, riding the subway to schools in New York, and every other place in between that would interview me.
I especially listened to the opener “See No Evil” on repeat, because it’s just such a criminally-underrated pump-up jam, one that–in its frenetic, high-energy guitar riffs and Jazz-inspired drumming all synchronizing with absolutely wild precision–makes you feel that perfection is not only possible, but attainable (which in a horrendously desiccated and adjunctified academic labor market, is a feeling you need more than ever to persevere–but then, that’s also the same feeling we all need to persevere throughout this life in general). |
| ↑4 | “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles” -Isaiah 40:31 |
| ↑5 | “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” -John 7:37 |
| ↑6 | “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” -Matt. 17:20 |
| ↑7 | “And by the power of the Holy Spirit, you shall know the truth of all things.” -Moroni 10:6 |
| ↑8 | God is a creator, not a destroyer–and we are to be like God, in a most literal sense. |
| ↑9 | Perfection is ostensibly what we are seeking, even though it will not be achieved in this life. But then, as Bruce R. McConkie (of all people) surprisingly said, it is one of the lies of Satan that we need to be perfect to be saved. For now anyways, it is enough to admire perfection, and know that it really does exist, even if we’re nowhere close to achieving it ourselves (which is how I often feel listening to Marquee Moon, incidentally). |
| ↑10 | Isn’t this why as kids in Church we were instructed to never watch R-rated movies, or view pornography, or only engage in “uplifting” television and literature or whatever? Oh, but if only we drilled our children just as much to also eschew wealth, dishonesty, lying, cheating, exploitation, oppression–for these to become the sins that we “shake at the very appearance of”? |
| ↑11 | “A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you…” -Joseph Smith |
| ↑12 | That is, he wants the infinity of the ocean contained in a small space; but then, what are we if not eternal potential contained in a tiny, mortal body? For this cause we know both that “man is nothing”, “even less than the dust of the earth”, yet also children of God, and “co-heirs with Christ”. |
| ↑13 | You 2000s kids will recall that there was briefly a social media platform–that at its height, competed with MySpace at its height–called BeBo. Whether the service was named for this song (certainly “Getting good reactions” is a social media platforms raison d’etre) is a different question; though certainly it’s fascinating that this song both predates and has outlasted both. |
| ↑14 | “Awake! and arise from the dust…” -2Nephi 1:14; that is, do not sleep unconsciously through this life, but be awake and alert–like this song. |
| ↑15 | “Yes, we know that Armageddon is coming; but then so is Adam-ondi-Ahman!” -Neal A. Maxwell. Yes, we all know these are the “Latter-days,” but could we all lighten up a bit? Yes, the short-term looks bad, the long-term looks even worse, and (in the words of John Maynard Keyes), in the very long-term we’re all dead. But in the infinite and eternal long-term, we live forever! |
| ↑16 | Enoch then went forth and preached in a loud voice, but the people were offended because of him, and said, “A wild man hath come among us.” -Moses 6:38 |
| ↑17 | “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” -Matt. 6:22; 3 Nephi 12:22 |
| ↑18 | I did land one of those all-too-rare tenure-tracks against all odds, by the way, and married the one I love while I was at it; I pulled down the future. |