Sunday, March 20, 2016

Time Will Tell... Enya's "Only Time"

“Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.” ― Kurt Vonnegut

"Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols." -- Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain

Time is one of those things that many a mind has pondered. It's relevant to all in all walks of life. Much has been written about it. Napoleon famously said, "I may lose a battle but I will never lose a minute." Peter Drucker, in his book The Effective Executive, devoted a chapter to the importance of managing one's time.

Enya approaches time from another angle. Time is something that tests us, and though our intentions may be good and feel real, only time will tell.

Youth and idealism go hand-in-hand, and they're meant to. A portion of this is due in part to our lack of life experience when young. The world's wrongs stand out, but the forces arrayed against fixing them are far more veiled, and more pervasive than one may easily see.

We can also be idealistic about love. Hollywood fuels this fire, and profits from it. Proclamations of faith and love are easily made, but hardships test those ideals. As the proverb says, "The crucible is for silver, the furnace for gold and the Lord tries hearts." Life tests us. Relationships test us as well. And as Enya sings here, time is the real test. We make promises, take vows... then bruise one another. Can we forgive? Does time heal all wounds?

Finally, one more fine quote on this theme:
"Time is the measurer of all things, but is itself immeasurable, and the grand discloser of all things, but is itself undisclosed." -- Charles Caleb Colton, Lacon

In other words, only time will tell.

Only Time

Who can say where the road goes?
Where the day flows?
Only time
And who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose?
Only time

Who can say why your heart sighs
As your love flies?
Only time
And who can say why your heart cries
When your love lies?
Only time

Who can say when the roads meet
That love might be in your heart?
And who can say when the day sleeps
If the night keeps all your heart,
Night keeps all your heart?

Who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose?
Only time
And who can say where the road goes?
Where the day flows?
Only time

Who knows? Only time


About Enya
Born in 1961, Enya is an Irish vocalist, instrumentalist and composer.
In addition to performing for Pope John Paul II, Enya participated in a live broadcast on British television for Christmas Eve in 1997, before she flew home to County Donegal to join her family at midnight Mass. She still sings in her mother's choir every Christmas at midnight Mass, at St. Mary's Church. 

"My influences are with Irish music, church music and classical music," she said in a 1997 interview. 

In 2006, Enya ranked third in a list of the wealthiest Irish entertainers with an estimated fortune of £75 million, and No. 95 in the Sunday Times Rich List of the richest 25 Irish people.

Meantime, life goes on all around you... like the river of time.

3 comments:

Bill Lisleman said...

nice song - We certainly don't know the future. I've written about time a few times. If you have extra time browse over and spend it on my post "It's Now or Never".
http://afcsoac.blogspot.com/2016/02/its-now-or-never.html

Ed Newman said...

Read your blog post... fun diversion without taking too much Time. :-)
In the middle segment you make some observations that I once incorporated into a story on the Lote John Brockman. You can read it here if you have a little time. It's at the bottom of a page of short shorts.
http://ennyman.com/thelight.html
Thanks for the note.
e

Bill Lisleman said...

thanks for giving the post a read.
I had not heard of John Brockman. I'll be checking out more of stuff since he covers science/physics.

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