A universal truth: music has the power to change and enrich hearts and minds like nothing else. Music reaches us in a deeper way than words or pictures; it fills an emotional need that feeds and sustains us as surely as the food we eat and the air we breathe. It is enjoyed and cherished even by the deaf in its felt rhythms and lyrical expressiveness, by babies who smile and wave their arms and legs in delight, by those lost to Alzheimer's who can communicate in no other way. I have been so fortunate to have experienced a music-rich life, and to have seen for myself countless times the profound difference even a single piece of music can make in a person's life. It is a kind of magic.
Today, I have something important to share with you, and I ask that you take a few minutes to set aside any expectations you may have and just watch and listen to the new video of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love." The lyrics are below.
When I was in the third grade I thought I was gay
‘Cause I could draw, an’ my uncle was, and I kept my room straight
I told my mom tears rushing down my face
She’s like “Ben you've loved girls since before pre-k shrimp”
Yea I guess she had a point didn’t she?
Bunch of stereotypes all in my head.
I remember doing the math like, “yea I’m good at little league”
A preconceived idea of what it all meant
For those that liked the same sex
Had the characteristics
The right wing conservatives think it’s a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing god, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don’t know
And god loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago
I don’t know
And I can’t change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
I’m acting strange
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately
"Man, that’s gay" get dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we’re saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don’t have acceptance for ‘em
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it
A gay is synonymous with the lesser
It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself
When I was at church they taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service those words aren’t anointed
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned
When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same, but that’s not important
No freedom till we’re equal, damn right I support it
And I can’t change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
And press play, don’t press pause
Progress, march on
With the veil over our eyes
We turn the back on the cause
Till the day that my uncles can be united by law
When kids are walking ‘round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are
And a certificate on paper isn’t gonna solve it all
But it’s a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever god we believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it’s all the same love
About time we raised up
And I can’t change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
I’m acting strange
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
Love is patient
Love is kind
Love is patient
Love is kind
(I‘m not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I‘m not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I‘m not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I‘m not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I‘m not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I‘m not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I‘m not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
Love is kind
As in other historic battles for equality, full protection of the law, and human dignity in America, there are many, many voices out there -- strong, strident, and filled with righteous fervor -- who feel that discrimination based on sexual orientation is not only a good thing, but necessary. The same people said the same things about women, and blacks, and immigrants, and those of differing religious beliefs. We are never going to have a country where we are all on the same page. But when you have such hatred spewed towards a large group of people who are asking for such a simple, small thing -- to be able to marry and access the same legal rights as others do -- we as Americans need to step back, think, and examine our hearts, every single one of us. What do you gain in denying this right to others? Who told you this is right? How does it make you feel to hurt someone else in order for you to feel superior? How do you justify "rights for people like me, but not for 'you people'?"
From an unlikely source -- hip-hop artists -- comes "Same Love," which breaks things down to the core of this issue.
Gay is not a choice.
Gay is not abnormal.
Gay is not an excuse for hatred against anyone.
Gay is not an excuse for discrimination.
Gay and straight people are infinitely more the same than different.
And love is to be honored and welcomed with open arms, in a world that needs it so.
Many of us will be voting this November on the issue of gay marriage, and I hope that no matter your background, you will stand in support of our fellow LGBT United States citizens who need your help now. Thank you, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and all those involved in the production of "Same Love" for doing a very, very important and good thing.
© Copyright 2008- Marianne Spellman