I first heard Iris DeMent's "Let the Mystery Be" when it came up as the new opening theme for season two of The Leftovers. The song has been on my mind lately as part of my recent preoccupation with death and aging. Given the subject matter--what happens after we die--Iris' lyrics are refreshingly nonjudgmental and upbeat. Here's the chorus:
Everybody is wonderin' what and where they all came from
Everybody is worryin' about where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done
But no one knows for certain and so it's all the same to me
Think I'll just let the mystery be
Each verse that follows quickly describes one of the various human concepts of what an afterlife might be like. My favourite is the last:
Some say they're goin' to a place called Glory and I ain't sayin' it ain't a fact
But I've heard that I'm on the road to purgatory and I don't like the sounds of that
'Cause I believe in love and I live my life accordingly
I choose to let the mystery be
The song sometimes makes me tear up, particularly at that final verse. I love her agency, her choice, and her acceptance of other ways of thinking about philosophy and religion.
No comments:
Post a Comment