MUSIC: "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister

The song "Broken Wings", by Mr. Mister, was a US No. 1 and worldwide Top 10 hit. It was inspired by the novel, Broken Wings, by one of my most beloved and inspirational writers, Kahlil Gibran. The line, "Take these broken wings and learn to fly" is the main line of lyrics in the song. A very similar line also appears in The Beatles song, "Blackbird," as well. Paul McCartney and John Lennon both were influenced by the work of Kahlil Gibran as were Mr. Mister.

"Gibran's book, Broken Wings, is a poetic novel first published in Arabic in 1912. It is a tragic love story, set in turn-of-the-century Beirut. A young woman, Selma Karamy, is betrothed to a prominent religious man's nephew. The protagonist (a young man that Gibran most likely modeled after himself) falls in love with Selma. They begin to meet in secret, however they are discovered, and Selma is forbidden to leave her house, breaking their hopes and hearts. The book highlights many of the social issues of the time in the Eastern Mediterranean, including religious corruption, the rights of women (or rather the lack thereof), and the weighing up of wealth over happiness." (Wikipedia)

Here is a quote from the book of the Lover's final farewell:

“We stood up and bade each other farewell, but love and despair stood between us like two ghosts, one stretching his wings with his fingers over our throats, one weeping and the other laughing hideously. As I took Selma's hand and put it to my lips, she came close to me and placed a kiss on my forehead, then dropped on the wooden bench. She shut her eyes and whispered softly, "Oh, Lord God, have mercy on me and mend my broken wings!” (~Kahlil Gibran, Broken Wings)

The theme of the book is echoed in the song: picking up the pieces of your life and moving on. In the song there is a note of heartbreak as the singer is asking his beloved to "take these broken wings and learn to fly again - learn to live so free.", hoping that they will reunite with one another. 

The video for Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings" is also very beautifully made. You will notice the hawk plays an important symbol in the video. I see it as the singer's heart or animal spirit guide - the singer has to follow his heart rather than the road map. Other major symbols are the church, the tango dancers, the desert, the map, and the ocean.

So!

Now that you have the background.

Here is one of my favorite songs from the 1980's

I love the haunting sound of the music and the mood of the video

Great lyrics with a great voice singing them

Mr. Mister

"Broken Wings"

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/nKhN1t_7PEY

Meditations: "On Clothing" from 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran

Iris Bachman Photography

~*~

Your clothes conceal much of your beauty, 

yet they hide not the unbeautiful.

And though you seek in garments the freedom of privacy 

you may find in them a harness and a chain.

Would that you could meet the sun and the wind 

with more of your skin and less of your raiment,

For the breath of life is in the sunlight 

and the hand of life is in the wind.

Some of you say, 

"It is the north wind who has woven the clothes to wear."

But shame was his loom, 

and the softening of the sinews was his thread.

And when his work was done he laughed in the forest.

Forget not that modesty is for a shield 

against the eye of the unclean.

And when the unclean shall be no more, 

what were modesty but a fetter and a fouling of the mind?

And forget not that the earth delights 

to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

Kahlil Gibran 

'On Clothes' from The Prophet (link)