One of
those songs that asks questions of the world around them is the John Lodge
penned One More Time To Live.1 The lyrics of the song
begin with the lines, ‘Look out of my window/See the world passing by.’ The
impression given is that this is a song in which the writer observes the world outside
them and tries to make sense of the desolation, annihilation, and pollution
they see. The solution this observer finds is to go on an inner journey and
find the riches within.
Another
way of hearing the lyrics may be as a commentary on the history of the world
from the beginning of time through to the present moment. When this song was
written the knowledge of environmental damage was only just beginning to be
recognised. The world’s first environmental political party was not formed
until the following year. The song was highly prescient then and remains relevant
today.
In the
song Justin Hayward (the vocalist) recites a total of 21 words, all with a ‘…tion’
or ‘…sion’ suffix.
The words
begin with Desolation, the state in which the Universe emerged from, followed
by Creation and Evolution.
This new
world then descends towards environmental destruction, presumably with the
appearance of Homo sapiens, and Hayward sorrowfully sings of Pollution, Saturation,
Population (growth), and Annihilation.
Next, we
hear of how humanity attempts to fix this mess. Humanity tries Revolution (which
fails to fix it) resulting in Confusion and Illusion. The Conclusion
to this is Starvation, Degradation, and Humiliation.
But this Conclusion
is not the future that the songwriter John Lodge wishes to see. So we hear
Justin Hayward inspiring us towards Contemplation and Inspiration. If
we take this inner journey, then there may be a chance that we realise an inner
Elation which can be our Salvation.
Via the
process of Communication, the Moody Blues finally arrive at…
Compassion…
which is
the Solution.
John
Lodge, Justin Hayward, and the other band members were correct more than half a
century ago, and they are no less so today.
Compassion
is the Solution.
Compassion towards ourselves, compassion towards other humans, compassions
to other life forms, and compassion towards Mother Earth.
Note:
1. A
beautiful Youtube clip of this song can be heard here.
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