Are there any songs which speak to you on a personal level of your own existential or spiritual experiences - pre, during or post G.V.: -
A few of my own: -
REM 'Losing my Religion' ;
Jon Anderson 'Somehow I'll find my Way Home'
Joni Mitchell 'Woodstock ' (we are stardust )
Kate Bush 'Man with the Child in His Eyes'
Joy Division ''Feel it closing in'
Tom Waits 'God's away on business' or 'Misery's the river of the world'
The Beatles 'All you need is Love'
John Coltrane 'A Love Supreme

Leonard Cohen - The Sisters of Mercy

Kate Bush - Army Dreamer

What a wonderful and dangerous question. I have spent the last half an hour looking through my CD shelves and found a few favorites. But it feels like there are many more I just can't remember now... It's maybe not always lyrics that literally speak of things I have experienced, but lyrics that resonate strongly with something in me.

Some English ones:

The Beatles Eleanor Rigby
Cat Stevens Lady D'Arbanville
King Crimson Epitaph
Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven
Pink Floyd On the Turning Away
The Moody Blues Nights in White Satin, The Other Side of Life
Leonard Cohen, Who By Fire
Styx Boat on the River
Loreena McKennitt Skellig

Interesting that you both picked a Leonard Cohen track as I had him in mind earlier in connection with this but then omitted him - when I was sixteen I would sit for hours in the dark in my front room meditating with his Songs of Leonard Cohen playing.

Me too...

THAT SPECIFIC ALBUM is what I recently recommended to someome who did not know Leonard Cohen as the one to listen to.

I think unless you listen to it at the right time you won't like it as much as you can.

I have posted this video on GR before for Bhaktavasya who said she is a Leonard Cohen fan. At the end he starts crying:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ocq_noEO2uU

In no particular order, looking through my spirit mix playlist:

All Soul's Night--Loreena McKennitt
Woodstock--Joni Mitchell (though I also love Eva Cassidy's cover)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond--Pink Floyd
Amazing Grace (Ani DiFranco's version is my favorite, Laura Love's a close second)
Testimony--Ferron
Closer--NIN (You get me closer to god...)
Hymn to Her--Pretenders
Govindam--Pia
Spider Woman's Home--R. Carlos Nakai and Paul Horn
Libana: The Earth is Our Mother, A Circle is Cast, The Earth, The Air..., Yemaya
Ani DiFranco: If He Tries Anything, Back Back Back
Tool: The Grudge, Aenema, Parabol, Parabola, Forty Six and 2
George Harrison: Hear Me Lord, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth), My Sweet Lord, Art of Dying, All Things Must Pass
I Just Want To Celebrate--Rare Earth
Dead Man's Party--Oingo Boingo
I'm A Woman--Koko Taylor
In Your Eyes--Peter Gabriel
Carry On--Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Where To Now, St. Peter?--Elton John
Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For--U2
Hold On--Sara McLachlan
Get Together--The Youngbloods
People Get Ready--Aretha Franklin
I'll Take You There--The Staple Singers
Shine--Imogen Heap
Sweet Religion--Imogen Heap
All The Candles In The World--Jane Siberry
Unwritten--Natasha Bedingfield
Spider Web--Joan Osborne
Spock Thoughts--Leonard Nimoy (the Desiderata)
New Attitude--Patti LaBelle
O Holy Night--Tracy Chapman's version
Breathe (2am)--Anna Nalick
Tony Scott--Music for Zen Meditation
Jesus Christ Superstar (rock opera by Webber/Rice)

Rhapsodies - Papathanasiou Vangelis and Irene Papas
Organ Symphony by Saint Seans
The Moody Blues (I have everything)
Early Joan Baez

There is a certain quality in some female voices... Joan Baez, Irene Papas, Lisa Gerrard, Yma Sumac, Kate Bush among them that gives me goosebumps and makes my hair stand up

It's hard not to have Cohen on this kind of list. His lyrics are unique.

Thankyou so much. I missed seeing that the first time. Songs of Leonard Cohen was my introduction to his music when i was 19 (1968) winding down like morning dew from an lsd trip. Later that morning, while walking past a mound of garbage i noticed a small flower blossoming at the edge, a sign of life defying the odds
(and she shows you where to look between the garbage and the flowers) and i started to cry.

His songs have had a deep impact on my spiritual life, the way i think and see the world. They also became part of the soundtrack of my life, almost 20 years ago, with the Famous Blue Raincoat recording of his songs by Jennifer Warnes.

there are other 'songs of spiritual significance' ("we weren't lovers like that and beside it would still be alright") that i want to acknowlege, later.

thankyou again

Hurt - Johnny Cash
Gloomy Sunday-Billie Holiday
Papa was a rolling stone-Temptations
Sisters are doin´it for themselves-Aretha Franklin
We dont need another hero-Tina Turner

Eric Satie...practically anything by him. Nice to play that when working. It "gives room" to you. No other way to explain it.

Voodoo chile (live) Jimi Hendrix
In the light -Led Zeppelin
please come home -Allman Brothers
break on through - The Doors
big bonghits -Darth Vaders church
Om namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya -Pandit Jasraj
within you without you -Beatles
satyam shivam sundaram- Lata Mangeshkar
simple man- Lynard Skynard

Since we came upon the subject of goosebumps-causing voices and also of Sanskrit mantras, here's a bunch of favorites:

Sri venkateshvara pate tava suprabhatam
I don't know the chanter's name, it seems to be a female but even of that I am not sure. I had the whole prayer on a tape that got so overused it won't play anymore. But two years ago I located it on the net. It seems to be the same thing. Hope the link still works.

http://www.astrojyoti.com/mp3stotras_full.htm

Then, from the movie Dance of the Wind, the little girl Tara's song (I don't have the Sanskrit but it is a prayer too).

Shveta Jhaveri (who btw does the voice of the main character in the movie), but who also records her own music, a fusion of raga and jazz.

Sheila Chandra (who used to sing pop, like Ever So Lonely, but also experimental music, and who sang a track for the Lord of the Rings movie, titled Breath of Life. For those of you who saw the movie: it's in The Two Towers, when the wounded Aragorn gradually awakens on a riverbank with his horse near him.

Come to think about it... also Enya, who sings Aniron (and more) for the same movie. What to speak of her sister Maire Brennan (Clannad).

I better stop here...

Speaking of Sanskrt songs, I had a favorite bhajan tape I cannot find anymore. It was called 'Lokanath Swami: Vrndavan Bhajans". Does any of you guys happen to have that on CD?

Dreams Made Flesh - Dead can Dance - in concert at Den Haag

The Alchemist - Enigma - from A Posteriori CD

She is a woman in love- Tom Petty

I was so surprised when Johnny did a NIN song like Hurt. His version was fantastic! I guess it really helps to have lived through a whole lot more "Hurt" than the much younger Trent Reznor.

I was going to add Enigma's first album but forgot to type it in.

Arvo Part- a piano piece:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX_9AMqe6CE...feature=related

At the moment for some reason I'm totally fascinated by The Voice by Celtic Woman.
Goosebumps, shivering, crying... almost bhava It's a long time I've felt this strongly for any piece of music.

Oh, yes, and Ameno by Era.
I would have to think about a general list, this is a temporary one.

This piano piece could have a subtitle: Less Is More.

Right now in my office big talks and plans about afternoon boating are going on - among those who are all over 50. This constant group unrestfullness and hiperactivity is unbelievable. It is so unlucky to hurry and not allow oneself to halt for a moment and listen to the sounds the river makes on the sandy beach.

One of the most wonderful gains from quitting japa, for me, was that I could be quiet in the forest and just stare and listen.


Leisure

by William Henry Davies


What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stop and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

Not time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

It is great, like Emily Dickinson, or William Wordsworth, or...a child staring. Sometimes when it is raining I go to office by bus. It is such a wonderful experience to see a child staring with wonder at everything - at sunrise, at other people, at cars- without judging anything, just staring. Then you can understand what means devotion. But it is a tragedy- there are less and less such children.

Metallica Escape
Album: Ride The Lightning

Lyrics:

Feel no pain, but my life ain't easy
I know I'm my best friend
No one cares, but I'm so much stronger
I'll fight until the end
To escape from the true false world
Undamaged destiny
Can't get caught in the endless circle
Ring of stupidity

Out of my own, out to be free
One with my mind, they just can't see
No need to hear things that they say
Life is for my own to live my own way

Rape my mind and destroy my feelings
Don't tell my what to do
I don't care now, 'cause I'm on my side
And I can see through you
Feed my brain with your so called standards
Who says that I ain't right
Break away from your common fashion
See through your blurry sight

Out of my own, out to be free
One with my mind, they just can't see
No need to hear things that they say
Life is for my own to live my own way

See they try to bring the hammer down
No damn chains can hold me to the ground
Life is for my own to live my own way

- Written by:
James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich & Kirk Hammett

CAUGHT IN A MOSH LYRICS by Anthrax

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tDzjUoHHQc...feature=related

Why don't you listen when I try to talk to you
Stop thinking of yourself for just a second fool
Shut up,shut up,I don't wanna hear your mouth
Your mother made a monster,now get the hell out of my house

Can't stand it for another day
I ain't gonna live my life this way
Cold sweat,my fists are clenching
Stomp,stomp,stomp the idiot convention

Which one of these words don't you understand?
I'm Caught in a Mosh!
Talking to you is like clapping with one hand

What is it?Caught in a Mosh!(4x)

Don't tell me how to do my job
There's the door,your name's on the knob
You're always in the way like a beast on my back
Were you dropped as a baby 'cause brains you lack

Can't stand it for another day
I ain't gonna live my life this way
Cold sweat,my fists are clenching
Stomp,stomp,stomp, the idiot convention
Which one of these words don't you understand?
I'm Caught in a Mosh
Talking to you is like clapping with one hand

What is it?Caught in a Mosh!(4x)

Think before you speak or suffer for your words
Learn to give respect that others give to you
AAAAAAAAAAAH,The best you can

Hey man,I'm trying to reason but you don't understand
Talking in circles,we'll never get it straight
Just you and me in our theatre of hate
Can't stand it for another day
I ain't gonna live my life this way
Cold sweat,my fists are clenching
Stomp,stomp,stomp,the idiot convention
Which one of these words don't you understand?
I'm Caught in a Mosh!
Talking to you is like clapping with one hand

What is it?Caught in a Mosh!(4x)

Fear Of God Lyrics" Betrayed "

When the night comes

Run away

When the night fall calls our your name.

The lust you feel

Has caused pain

Silent in the morning light

Go home to your betrayed.


When the night comes

Run and hide

When the night falls

Get inside

It belongs to the betrayed

Who can't decide

To live or die.

Something's on their

Minds...

It doesn't matter

They're just killing

Time.

I like the way the knife feels in your back.


Words fall

Between us

Lying in the dust, no trust

Their shadows cover us.

Recite this vow together

Swear on

Our souls forever

I'm nothing, in on one. Can we trust


Whitout mercy

Whitout pity

We silent stalk

The streets of

The city looking for you

I am betrayed. You will feel my rage

You frakking goddamn king of the world