2. Contrition
words and music: Terry Scott Taylor
©2019 Shape Of Air Music, BMI


Note:
On occasion I watch Dr. Phil on television: I’m ceaselessly dumb-struck by the inability of certain individuals appearing on the show to simply fess up and admit fault once their various aberrant behaviors, lousy attitudes, self-serving motivations, moral failures, and so forth, have been openly exposed to millions of television viewers. While watching these flagrant displays of unrepentant and unbridled narcissistic pride, (no, I’m not talking about Doctor Phil, wise guy!) I’m always thinking “Come on dude, you know you’re lying to us and to yourself. Let it go. The only way to get on track is to first admit you’re wrong and you’ve got a problem.” Of course, I really shouldn’t be surprised by this kind of audaciously self-righteous behavior since, to various degrees, we’re all guilty of the same kind of thing, and of course I include yours truly; It’s simply the nature of the beast called “human nature.” Pride, in the destructive sense of the word, can permeate our closest relationships, extending outwardly to impact how we see the world at large. Without sincere, heartfelt repentance, a key component of the Judeo-Christian ethos, we are doomed. It was C.S. Lewis who wrote “The door of hell is locked from the inside.”
There seems to be an inordinate amount of hate going around in the world at present, and it’s both heartbreaking and frightening. In “Contrition” I wanted to explore the damaging aspects of pride and anger, both in our personal relationships (spouses, family, friends) and, by extension, its manifestation on the world stage in which, as a consequence, catastrophic events may result. The listener might be tempted to read into the lyrics of “Contrition” a particular political position on my part; I claim no such intention. “Contrition” is simply saying that God despises the blinding pride in you, in me, in all of us, yet He loves us enough to sacrifice his Son to save us from its eternal consequences.
The “gun” mentioned in the song is a metaphor for our deadly anger, and the stuttering “s-s-s-s-sorry” in the lyric is meant to convey the reluctance to admit any wrongdoing on our part. We’re not talking about some glib, insincere apology here, one intended only as a kind of “tag, you’re it” ploy to elicit an equal response (we offer it without condition, even when no positive response is forthcoming); this is why the song is titled “Contrition.”