Lenten Soundtrack Song 1: Cold Desert by Kings of Leon

10Mar11

So yeah Lent is about following Jesus into the desert for 40 days, and Caleb Followill did that for one night and he got scared and wrote a song about it. Well, he only wrote the first verse—the last two, and the wailing tag just came to him in a state of drunkenness. But there’s something spiritually raw and beautifully honest about it. And amazing how it just flowed. Listen to the album track—it’s the first and only recording of Cold Desert. You can hear the studio engineer fading out, and then fading back in because Caleb wasn’t finished. Yeah, his broken heart still had some bleeding to do.

It’s difficult for us to live with ourselves. It’s scary to throw ourselves into the elements. If we haven’t slowly eased our way into the desert, it can be like throwing a pre-schooler into a marathon. That’s why I’ll be hanging out on the edges of the desert for Lent.

But I really only want to sit at the feet of those who have done some time in the desert. A prolonged experience of intentional silence and solitude seems to give people their voice. I mean ‘voice’ in the sense of vocation. I haven’t really had the chance to do that myself. I’m still finding my voice. In a Protestant-y work ethic context, 40 days in the desert seems unproductive at best, even for us ministers who are supposed to follow in the tradition of Jesus. But as one can see, it worked pretty well for Jésucristo, and Juan el Bautisto, and some others. Well, “worked pretty well” means they ended up getting crucified and beheaded, respectively. So I should probably rephrase that. But I don’t want to rethink it. I feel a pull to the desert.

Maybe my spell in the desert is coming. I’m turning 30 in a few months. They say 30 is the new 20. But I think 30 should be a sacramental year, kind of like 15 is for quinceñera girls. It should be something special. At 30 you are feeling joy of freedom along with the weight of responsibility, and you have a sense your own strength along with your own mortality as well. You can see the beginning and the end. And it feels like you’ve got to make a move.

The monastics—now there’s some desert experience for you. They seemed to preserve Western civilization pretty well. Outlived the Roman Empire while in the desert, that’s for dang sure. Those Fathers and Mothers were well acquainted with themselves, their god and the arid landscapes they chose to inhabit.

But back to the song Cold Desert. You’ll either feel god-forsaken or god-taken in the desert. It seems to be a crest that sends people down one way or the other. Unfortunately Brother Followill felt the former.

The desert is the perfect training ground for spiritual masters. Harsh elements. Scarce food and water. No technology. No busyness or constant stimulation. No companions or fellow travelers. I reckon folks find out who they are pretty quickly.

For Lent, I hope we can follow Jesus into the desert. But don’t go too deep unless you know who you are and whose you are. Because there’s a tempter that will be waiting on you.

Let’s listen to the song.

And the backstory.

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Filed under: music, reflection   |  3 Comments
Tags: kings of leon, Lent