TAO OF HEAVEN
(Lyrics and Music by Rick Springfield)
Surrender...
Surrender...
Surrender...
Surrender...
The light of spirit burns in everyone
The diamond's buried deep - surrender
When the heart is ready the teacher will come
Nothing remains without change - surrender
The Tao of heaven shines in every eye
The diamond's buried deep - surrender
It's a gateless gate for those who never try
Nothing remains without change - surrender
The light of spirit burns in everyone
The diamond's buried deep - surrender
When the heart is ready the teacher will come
Nothing remains without change - surrender
The Tao of heaven shines in every eye
The diamond's buried deep - surrender
It's a gateless gate for those who never try
(total playing time 1:27) Song
Facts:
Tao of Heaven appears on the album Tao. |
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----ahhhhhhhhh! Many a night I have put this song on
"repeat" and fallen asleep to sweet dreams. I absolutely love this, so
very relaxing to me.
I just always assumed this song meant that we all had "the way" (TAO) to the
happiness we all long for deep within us, -----some of us deeper than others! I
always pictured Rick meditating to this mainly just because I like to picture that and I
have mentioned to Rick that I felt it was almost impossible for most people to actually
meditate in today's busy, confusing, frustrating world, and this song (more of a mantra,
uh?) was one of the few ways I could really relax because most of the time I have so many
thoughts jumpin' out of my head. I think we all seek that calmness, peacefulness, that we
see in so few people and this is what Rick was searching for or had found during this
time, I guess.
Welcome to "The Power of Love, Chapter
2". Today's lesson deals with Taoism's interpretation of how to get into Heaven. You
know that beautiful, flowery place that we all hope to end up someday. They better be
playing this song when I get there.
The music in this song is almost haunting, maybe chant-like. Which is a good thing, as
long as you don't picture old monks humming, with heads bowed, on their knees. Sorry for
the visual, let's make it Rick, wearing white ala LIO liner notes whispering the words in
your ear. Better? Thought so. This song put me to sleep many a night when I was a teen. I
didn't mean that as a joke, but more of a compliment - it is very soothing,
calming...mixed in with Rick's wonderful voice, and ahhh...sweet dreams. After reviewing
the songs on this album so far I've realized that I need to go back to listening to Rick
before I go to bed again...
"When the heart is ready the teacher will come" "nothing
remains without change" "It's a gateless gate for those who never try"
lifted straight from the religion again, like in the Power of Love. Very strong words to
live by, I think Rick took/takes them very seriously. I've always wondered the position of
this song in the CD. Why here, between Walk Like a Man & Stranger in the House? Did
Rick have some hidden meaning there? It does make for a nice, wonderful break between the
two songs, but almost seems like this should have been either first or last. I dunno, I
guess that's why I'm not a record producer.
I'd love to hear Rick do this one live. I can picture it now...kinda like a VH1
Storytellers, with just Rick sittin' on a stool with the ol' acoustic. With as raspy
as his voice is nowadays, I think it just may be better.
Surrender...
Surrender...
Surrender...
Surrender...
I this this is a huge ongoing theme with Rick. It ties right in with "listen to your
heart" and even more closely with what he is always saying in interviews about how
things glide along much more smoothly if you know your path and follow it rather than
trying to force things in another direction. I believe (based on absolutely nothing other
than that it's what I believe) that many of Rick's early career decisions were made
against his instincts, all else being somewhat pushed aside in the focus on what he wanted
to accomplish. But, hmm, by 1985 he'd steered that ship to great commercial success, and
still wasn't where he belonged.
I also see this concept tied up not only in religion but in the "let go and let God,
premise that forms so much of the foundation of twelve stop programs and the like. The
more we try to micro-manage and control every aspect of our lives, the more screwed up
they get. Sitting still and listening to that voice that will tell you which way to go
makes all the difference.
This, as one of many asides (since I truly seem to be going to write a book about this
song) this was a big issue for me, too, when I was doing the high-powered career thing.
For probably that reason, I didn't "get" this song until very late in life. I
was all about taking control.
Hmmm. Okay, we're through the first WORD, show of hands here: who's sorry they asked? :)
This is my favorite song. It is the song that
I've always dreamed that I would sing with Rick. He'd decide to do it live, and I would be
the only other person in the entire room who knew the words and melody. I had NO prayer of
seeing Rick perform when this dream began, but jus in case, maybe they'd be horribly lost
and his tour bus would break down on the road near my house or something (it could
happen!), I practice and practice and practice. There were just a couple of problems
here 1) I can't sing so good (ahem) and 2) it can't just be done with two voices.
This song has 3 layers, a trinity. It's a very spiritual song, yoda like (yeah, Rick and
the Jedi got me through high school).
Someone mentioned the position of the song on the album and I'm wondering if Rick didn't
need a moment of peace here. Walk Like A Man focuses on world disasters while Stranger In
The House is a personal crisis (is this the same girl I tried so hard to win?).
In the midst of all the problems that are beyond control (nuclear war, toxic whatever,
relationships gone awry), Tao of Heaven is about inner strength (the diamond's buried
deep) and the need to do for oneself, the importance of shrugging off helplessness (It's
a gateless gate for those who never try).
"Nothing remains the same without change" has been my signature line for the
past two years. It is a personal struggle of mine to accept this philosophy, definitely a
work in progress (see fan who is still ever so disgruntled about the whole goatee issue,
LOL).
I must say that I have never, until this week, actually paid any
attention to what he was saying in the song. It's such a short song, and the music
is kind of hypnotic. I have a disadvantage in the fact that I do almost all my
listening to music in the car, so I don't have the chance to read the words as I listen (I
don't think the other motorist on the road would appreciate that very much). I think
there's a lot of good advice throughout the song, I guess it just doesn't touch me as much
as some of the other songs, because it's basically Rick taking words/sayings from other
places and using them to express himself, rather than coming up with the stuff himself.
I like the latter, better.
Tao Of Heaven is a lovely, soothing and somewhat
trance-inducing song. To me it seems like an oasis in the middle of the
drum-beating. However, I have never really viewed it as an "actual" Rick
Springfield song because I was always under the impression (and I know NOTHING about
eastern religions) that these phrases were taken from something (thanks to these posts, I
now know where some of these thoughts/principles come from). Maybe some of
them were created by Rick, I am not sure.
It is a beautiful song with a beneficial message, and it says a lot about how Rick
felt/feels. But as someone put it, it is not Rick writing about his feelings and
experiences with his own words, at least this is how I view it. I would take Rick
writing about Rick any day. . I do think these are the principles that Rick
believes in and thinks are most important, I think they are extremely important to him.
My point is that when I hear them they do not sound like something he
actually wrote, more like he took phrases and beliefs that were especially meaningful to
him, wrote the music and incorporated them into a beautiful song. I know he was
sending a message this way. I just like it best when Rick writes his own lyrics
because I think that is the strongest of the many gifts he has......his writing abilities.
Sounds like a chant and as others have said can
be very hypnotic. Unless, I sit and read the words, then I kinda ignore the words. I keep
reading religion into the song. Any kind, doesn't matter, as long as you have some sort of
religion and heaven to believe in. So, I'm thinking that the Gateless gate for
those who never try could possibly be those who don't believe in heaven. Well, maybe
not. I'm through with this one though. I will think about it no longer. Might lead me to
start thinking too much. |