Living here in Nashville, Tennessee, one is surrounded by many different forms of music, all finding some degree of nerve center here. Country music is a medium of storytelling, in many cases, one of the most powerful music media for the telling of tales that exists. From Johnny Cash to Taylor Swift, the delivery of “they’re telling my story” parables in music has had a rising following and deepening impact on societies around the world.
Whether you’re a country music fan or not, watch the following video from the famed Billy Ray Cyrus, the father of Miley Cyrus (whose home church we’ve visited while living here). Note the mixture of media to tell a story – from the childlike faith to move mountains embodied only in the film portion, to the bottle of pills one never sees sung in the lyrics. I’ve cried every single time I see this.
It speaks to the timeless theme of mourning, death, and hope reborn. Responses to grief – hopelessness, lingering sadness, despair and courage to go on – all are encased in a simple story told in mixed media.
The best moment of all, for me, is when the youngest child kneels down to pray – and flashes of his father teaching him to pray grace the scene.
As a Dad who has worked all my life to teach my children to pray, I break down at this point every time. The writers, directors, producers, cinematographers and artist have me here, everytime. They could almost deliver any truth (or falsehood) to me at this point, and I would at the very least be vulnerable to it.
Would you not show this to someone who needs hope, and believes in the power of prayer?
Join the storytellers, songwriters, film makers, and media painters. There is a glorious Story of Hope to be told – in a thousand ways.
7 Comments
it’s beautiful.
my only fear is the that somehow the roles have gotten reversed – and it’s going to put a lot of pressure on those tiny little shoulders of the kids being raised on the country music channel – when their big brother doesn’t stop drinking, or their parents really get divorced. it might be seen as magic somehow – and if it doesn’t work then what?
Yes. This is a “happy ending” approach, on some level, that inspires hope but leaves a bigger picture of possibilities unspoken.
This is the limitation of art – nuance and longer statements. To make art that suggests the possibilities are endless, can demand more time, attentiona span and energy than the audience has.
Saying one thing is a challenge, saying more can be moreso.
a reminder that the simple prayer of a child ~ my inner child ~ unshrouds me today.
This is really great Dad. I enjoyed watching the music video…it was very moving.
Thanks for posting this!
P.S. Is this a new song by Billy Ray?
What a beautiful way to tell a story. Prayer does change things.
It says it all. Prayer can and will change things- you just have to allow it to happen and be open to the possibilities that it presents.
I loved the story in the video. It does bring hope. And it does ring a note of truth. But, as Dan said, more art, song and writing is needed. Because this does not cover the realities that happen when families and lives disintegrate into painful and hollow shadows of the past.
Some art, however dark, must be made that tells the story of those people as well who couldn’t make during the tragedy and who succumbed to pain. For if we can’t tell that story as well, they will never trust our story of hope and life available to them once again. As we tell the breadth of the story across lives, the whole story becomes more true, and the voice of His story becomes more authentic those who have lived in the painful void of never hearing their own story told to them by someone else.
This is the crux of true evangelism- that we tell our authentic story, and in it somehow others hear their own. When they see the honest reality of their lives reflected in our stories, they will believe us. And when they believe enough to listen, they will also see and hear His story. In our art, our words and our lives.
Dan is right, we are storytellers. And we must keep telling the story in a thousand different ways.
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