My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing. – Job 30:31

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 19, 2018): Job 30

The Eagles released their hit “Hotel California” in February 1977. Don Henley described the song this way; "Lyrically, the song deals with traditional or classical themes of conflict: darkness and light, good and evil, youth and age, the spiritual versus the secular. I guess you could say it's a song about loss of innocence." “Hotel California” is a mournful song of loss. The music was written by the Eagles guitarist Don Felder, and it features one of the great guitar solos of all time, a solo that most guitarists have tried and failed to replicate. The lyrics were a result of the collaboration of two of Felder’s bandmates, Henley and Glenn Frey. The meaning and significance of the song, as revealed in several of Henley’s interviews, is fluid. Depending on the moment, it can mean very different things. But no matter what the meaning of the moment might be, the song is always about loss.

What is maybe most impressive is that the lyrics and the music are married beautifully in the composition. Both the lyrics and the music speak of loss. The song is written in the key of B minor. And while a song written in a major often feels uplifting even without the lyrics, a song written in a minor key feels sad. Consider Cat Stevens “Wild World,” the Rolling Stones “Angie,” or even the Led Zepplin classic “Stairway to Heaven,” all of which were written in a minor key. The music of these songs alone, without any lyrics, all sound sad and mournful. The music of these songs reveal a time of loss.

Job says that his lyre is tuned to mourning. Maybe a more contemporary understanding of the feelings of Job is that the music of his life, which was once played in a major key, has now been replaced by the minor scale. Even without knowing the events of Job’s life, the key in which his life is now being revealed is sad. Even the pipe no longer carries a joyful tune but is now content to simply wail out its remorse.

Or maybe Job is simply singing the blues. In any event, the sad story of Job’s life is now being played with music suitable for a tragedy. There comes a time in all of our lives that we sing a sad song, and for Job, that time has arrived. The music itself consoles us and reminds that we are not alone, after all, at some point everyone sings the blues.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 31