Feb 2022 folk fearless agnostic-gospel slightly-nerdy
Today's Fearless Songwriter prompt was "Judgment Day"
I’ll Be Ready
If there’s a day of judgment
And a chance to meet my maker
First, I’ll be a little bit surprised
I have gone about my business
Thinking this is all there is
But it’s okay to have my reasoning revised
I may not know the answer
To what lies round the bend
But what a great adventure
To find out in the end
Hallelujah, I’ll be ready
For whatever’s coming next
I’ve lived my life embracing change
It won’t leave me perplexed
I’m hoping that eternity is not what I expect
I’ll be ready
I’ll be ready
I don’t need the threat of hellfire
Or a fertile promised land
In this world my life has been complete
But if there is a deity
Then probably he or she’ll be
The kind of someone I would want to meet
Though Pascal was strategic
I’ve played it all by ear
And if I wagered wrongly
At least I’ve been sincere
Hallelujah, I’ll be ready
For whatever’s coming next
I’ve lived my life embracing change
It won’t leave me perplexed
I’m hoping that eternity is not what I expect
I’ll be ready
I’ll be ready
© Beth DeSombre 2022 (FAWM #4)(Fearless #2: Judgment Day)
@danvaillancourt Mar 2022
Nice! Great premise. Love the melodic chorus. I'm always in for a song with the tag "slightly-nerdy!"
@mikedebenham Feb 2022
This is lovely. Beautifully sung and played. And the lyrics are pitched so well - strolling into the afterlife with a casual shrug. Love the 'she'll be' rhyme and your easygoing dismissal of Pascal's wager. (Hanging out with a deity who'd only let you in if you believed in them doesn't much sound fun anyway.)
@oswlek Feb 2022
This is great! As a fellow atheist, you had me with the lyric. The nod to Pascal was a nice easter egg for those familiar with apologetics. That entire stanza is great, I got a chill on "sincere".
Count me as a new fan, Beth! :)
@colgoo Feb 2022
I thought I had already commented on this one. I really love the way you took this prompt, with personal integrity and honesty. Nice!
@alyxanderjames Feb 2022
I really like this one - I've actually been having a lot of conversations like this lately and this sums up how I've been feeling about it really well. Echoing the other comments that your fingerpicking is always so good!
@tukayandryan Feb 2022
Your finger picking is so lovely. Love the positive spin on this. Great delivery as always. Love listening to your songs :)
@jyllian Feb 2022
I love the positivity of this. You take what many have made an ultimatum and made it into a simple truth of maybe.
@mariekevinkmusic Feb 2022
This has such a nice flow to it. The finger picking is solid and the vocal delivery spot on. I like that you ahev managed to make judgement day feel light-hearted.
@wurzelfrau Feb 2022
Soothing is the first word that came to my mind. And it really is, I love the perspective. Great song!
@markg Feb 2022
Usually when I hear "judgement day" I imagine anxiety and plenty of--well, judgement. So it's calming to hear these lyrics that reflect sincerity, readiness, and a sense of everything is gonna be alright.
My favorite part is the almost-rhyme of "deity" with "she'll be"
@tseaver Feb 2022
Good write: explores the ground well (love the reference to ole Blase's wager). I reckon we should all be ready for the Next Thing not to match our preconceived ideas.
@ekunyi Feb 2022
Ah goodness, you remain my fingerpicking inspiration. Your playing is always just so fluid and you make it sound so easy (though I know through my own fumbling along with my bari uke that it is most certainly not easy!)
As for the song itself, it's truly just lovely. The idea of being ready for whatever comes next, carrying confidence in your own capacity to navigate life's (and thus the afterlife's) challenges is wonderful, as are the words you've written!
@eas3637 Feb 2022
Wow! I'm amazed at how much philosophy you packed into this song and with such a great, sly sense of humor. I love "I’ve lived my life embracing change/It won’t leave me perplexed/I’m hoping that eternity is not what I expect" and the verse about Pascal. And also: rhyming deity with "she'll be"....nice!
@kenmattsson Feb 2022
The writing here is just so tight, and the flow is easy, yet driven. Reminds me of a bubbling stream. Just a really wonderful listen and your delivery is so nice.
@mikeskliar Feb 2022
great subject for a song! and nicely done! yeah, if its true i'll be surprised as well, lol! nice write and performance!
@pfaffbrill Feb 2022
Wow. That's deep. Wonderful composition. Strong Lyrics! Thumbs up!