My good friend, Dustin from Thrice, recently did a Wordle word cloud for his lyrics from the past ten years.  I thought it was revealing (in an awesome way).

Even though I'm hardly objective, I can say that he's easily one of my favorite lyricists ever.  I once described Thrice by comparing them to Rage Against the Machine and U2.  I said that whereas Rage and U2 are about change or revolution on a massive scale, Thrice is about a more intimate revolution.  The former starts in stadiums and on the front steps of court buildings, the latter that starts internally and shows itself to your neighbor.  Dustin's lyrics are a rare combination of theology, philosophy, narrative, conceptual, personal struggle, and poetry.  There is also a tangible element of hope to all of the songs that, I think, flows from his theology.

Just so you can see what a good story he can tell and picture he can paint, check out this video made from The Passion of the Christ that a fan made for their song, "Like Moths to Flame", which is a telling of the story of Peter's denial of Jesus.

Here are the lyrics:

Once again these bitter herbs
The perfect compliment to all your cryptic words
I nod but don't know what to say, but I know you
And I believe you're who you say you are so I..

I will follow you, lay down my life
I would die for you, this very night

Once again the bread and wine
But it seems the meanings may be deeper still this time
And you surprised me when you said I'd fall away, don't you know me
I could never be ashamed of you, no I...

I've never been this cold, the fire's gravity compels
Like planets cling to sol, I feel my orbit start to fail
Like moths to flame I come, too close And all my oaths are burned
As stars begin to run, all my accusers take their turn
And calling curses down, from my lips lies like poison spill
And then that awful sound, the sound of prophesy fulfilled
And then I met your eyes, and I remember everything
And something in me dies, the night that I betrayed my king

Here is the video:

His lyrics have been encouraging me for eight years now.  If you're unfamiliar with them, I hope they encourage you as well.  You can get more information and hear more songs at http://myspace.com/thrice or http://myspace.com/dustinkensrue.

More to come soon...