[Note: like most Jazz albums, John Coltrane’s legendary 1965 LP A Love Supreme is largely an instrumental. However, within the record-sleeve’s inner fold, Coltrane included a written prayer that he said he “sang” through his saxophone on the 4th and final track, “Psalm,” which we have copied below. The presence of this unspoken prayer is wholly appropriate, because in Jazz, as with the Holy Spirit, it is everything you don’t hear that is most important.]
I will do all I can to be worthy of Thee, O Lord.[1]A frank acknowledgment that “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall. enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. … Continue reading
It all has to do with it.[2]The double repetition of “it” evokes a conception of God in, through, and of all things–just “the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the … Continue reading
Thank You God.[3]“And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things” D&C 59:21
Peace.[4]John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
There is none other.[5]Exodus 20:3–and as Spencer W. Kimball once glossed it, the commandment to have “no other Gods before me” refers to anything we worship, whether it be our careers, or our wealth, or … Continue reading
God is[6]“I Am that I Am.” Exodus 3:14. It is so beautiful.
Thank You God. God is all.
Help us to resolve our fears and weaknesses.[7]Ether 12:27, “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient”
Thank you God.
In You all things are possible.[8]Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”
We know. God made us so.
Keep your eye on God.[9]Matt. 6:22; 3 Nephi 13:22; D&C 4:5, “With an eye single to the glory of God”
God is. He always was. He always will be.[10]Psalm 90:2, “Everlasting to everlasting”
No matter what… it is God.
He is gracious and merciful.
It is most important that I know Thee.[11]John 17:3, “And this is this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Words, sounds, speech, men, memory, thoughts,
fears and emotions–time–all related…
all made from one… all made in one.[12]D&C 76:24, “That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.”
Blessed be His name.
Thought waves–heat waves–all vibrations–[13]An influence on the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” just 2 years later?
all paths lead to God. Thank you God.
His way… it is so lovely… it is gracious.
It is merciful–Thank you God.
One thought can produce millions of vibrations[14]Moses 7:30, “And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations…thou art … Continue reading
and they all go back to God… everything does.[15]Expresses a Universalist conception of deity–something, incidentally, that Joseph Smith has been accused of, as well
Thank you God.
Have no fear… believe…[16]Mark 5:36, “Be not afraid, only believe” Thank you God.
The universe has many wonders.[17]“Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.” D&C 88:45 God is all.
His way… it is so wonderful.
Thoughts–deeds–vibrations, etc.
They all go back to God and He cleanses all.
He is gracious and merciful[18]An allusion to the opening of each chapter in the Holy Quran, which Coltrane was introduced to by his first wife, during the same era when Elijah Muhammad and his most famous disciple Malcolm X were … Continue reading… Thank you God.
Glory to God… God is so alive.[19]“It is the office of a true teacher to show us that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harvard Divinity School address, 1838
God is.
God loves.[20]1 John 4:18; Moroni 8:16, “Perfect love casts out all fear”
May I be acceptable in Thy sight.[21]James 1:27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world”
We are all one in His grace.[22]John 17:11, “That they may be one, as we are one”
The fact that we do exist is acknowledgement[23]D&C 85:6, “Yea, thus saith thestill small voice, which whispereth through andpierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest”
of Thee, O Lord.
Thank you God.
God will wash away all our tears…[24]Revelations 21:4, “he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed … Continue reading
He always has…
He always will.[25]Psalm 90:2, “even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God”
Seek him everyday. In all ways seek God everyday.
Let us sing all songs to God.
To whom all praise is due… praise God.
No road is an easy one, but they all
go back to God.[26]An idea also expressed in the Bhagavad-Gita, by the way; worth noting, because after he passed away from liver cancer two years later, his widow Alice Coltrane converted to Hinduism to help assuage … Continue reading
With all we share God.[27]Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”
It is all with God.
It is all with Thee.
Obey the Lord.[28]John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments;” Matt. 22:37-40, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. … [39] … Continue reading
Blessed is He.
We are all from one thing… the will of God…
thank you God.
I have seen God–I have seen ungodly[29]Isaiah 6:5-7, “ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord … Continue reading–
none can be greater–none can compare to God.
Thank you God.
He will remake us[30]“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof … Continue reading… He always has and He
always will.
It is true–blessed be His name–Thank you God.
God breathes through us so completely[31]Psalm 150:6, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.”…
so gently we hardly feel it[32]Like a still small voice–1 Kings 19:12, “And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”… yet,
it is our everything.
Thank you God.
ELATION–ELEGANCE–EXALTATION[33]D&C 132:22-24, “For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the … Continue reading–
All from God.
Thank you God. Amen.
JOHN COLTRANE–December, 1964
References
| ↑1 | A frank acknowledgment that “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall. enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21), “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17) and “It is by grace we are saved after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | The double repetition of “it” evokes a conception of God in, through, and of all things–just “the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed” D&C 84:46 |
| ↑3 | “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things” D&C 59:21 |
| ↑4 | John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” |
| ↑5 | Exodus 20:3–and as Spencer W. Kimball once glossed it, the commandment to have “no other Gods before me” refers to anything we worship, whether it be our careers, or our wealth, or even our church callings |
| ↑6 | “I Am that I Am.” Exodus 3:14 |
| ↑7 | Ether 12:27, “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient” |
| ↑8 | Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” |
| ↑9 | Matt. 6:22; 3 Nephi 13:22; D&C 4:5, “With an eye single to the glory of God” |
| ↑10 | Psalm 90:2, “Everlasting to everlasting” |
| ↑11 | John 17:3, “And this is this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” |
| ↑12 | D&C 76:24, “That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.” |
| ↑13 | An influence on the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” just 2 years later? |
| ↑14 | Moses 7:30, “And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations…thou art merciful and kind forever” |
| ↑15 | Expresses a Universalist conception of deity–something, incidentally, that Joseph Smith has been accused of, as well |
| ↑16 | Mark 5:36, “Be not afraid, only believe” |
| ↑17 | “Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.” D&C 88:45 |
| ↑18 | An allusion to the opening of each chapter in the Holy Quran, which Coltrane was introduced to by his first wife, during the same era when Elijah Muhammad and his most famous disciple Malcolm X were rising to prominence within the Civil Rights movement |
| ↑19 | “It is the office of a true teacher to show us that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harvard Divinity School address, 1838 |
| ↑20 | 1 John 4:18; Moroni 8:16, “Perfect love casts out all fear” |
| ↑21 | James 1:27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” |
| ↑22 | John 17:11, “That they may be one, as we are one” |
| ↑23 | D&C 85:6, “Yea, thus saith thestill small voice, which whispereth through andpierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest” |
| ↑24 | Revelations 21:4, “he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” |
| ↑25 | Psalm 90:2, “even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” |
| ↑26 | An idea also expressed in the Bhagavad-Gita, by the way; worth noting, because after he passed away from liver cancer two years later, his widow Alice Coltrane converted to Hinduism to help assuage her grief, and distinguished herself with a series of Hindu-inflected Free Jazz records in the early-70s |
| ↑27 | Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” |
| ↑28 | John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments;” Matt. 22:37-40, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. … [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” |
| ↑29 | Isaiah 6:5-7, “
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged” |
| ↑30 | “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity |
| ↑31 | Psalm 150:6, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” |
| ↑32 | Like a still small voice–1 Kings 19:12, “And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” |
| ↑33 | D&C 132:22-24, “For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. 23 But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also. 24 This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law. |