Housewives’ Song
October 4, 2010 | My Jottings
Every once in a while you might find a song that so speaks to your life, you want to listen to it over and over again. This is one of those songs for me. The song is by a young woman named Maron Gaffron, and it’s from her CD called “Uptown.”
I like all the songs on this album but today I’m sharing “The Housewives’ Song,” and you can read the lyrics below.
Every time I go to the grocery store or to Target, I’m surprised and saddened by the magazine covers that sit in plain view for little girls (and boys) to see.
When I was young, there were beautiful models on the covers, but they were dressed and they weren’t selling sex — they were mostly selling Prell shampoo and Cover Girl Peeper Sticks and Bonne Bell Pot o’ Gloss lip gloss. Today at eye level we see bulging bosoms spilling out over tiny garments, airbrushed perfection that is never attainable but whispers to your daughter that she should try to attain it anyway, and article headlines about what men and women really want, that you in your married and monogamous stupidity never knew about or experienced.
Sometimes I wonder how little girls can retain their innocence these days when they’re bombarded by the messages on television and on magazine covers. This is how you should look…this is how you should dress…this is what pretty is…this is what will bring you happiness is the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) ubiquitous message vibing out to girls and women.
I’m a grandmother now, so I guess some could say I’m out of touch with the times, or have grown a little stodgy. That might be true, but I know what beauty is not, and it is not found on the cover of Cosmopolitan or Vogue. Yes, the women on these magazines might be beautiful by the world’s standards, but I think true beauty is so much more than just a symmetrical face, white teeth, large eyes, a narrow nose, long legs, full lips and flawless skin.
If I could wave my magic wand and perform one good deed today, I would want the truthful lyrics of this song to be sung over every little girl, every young woman who thinks her happiness is found in how much attention she gets from the opposite sex, every middle-aged woman who peers in the mirror and frequently sees new lines and sags in her face, and every elderly woman whose physical beauty has long ago faded. I would want the words of this song to go deep into the hearts of all who listen, and take root. I would want this song to drown out the lies being force fed to our little girls and young women, and I would like to see little girls allowed to be innocent little girls who are not exposed to the media’s barrage of propaganda.
Click on the title below:
Don’t look for your beauty in the eyes of your children
Don’t look for your beauty in the eyes of your man
Don’t look for your beauty in the eyes of the world
Your beauty, you’ll find it in the Lord
Don’t look for your worth in your friendships
Don’t look for your worth in your pay
Don’t look for your worth in the things you do each day
Your worth now, you’ll find it in the Lord
‘Cause it’s like a mirror looking in
When you find the strength to stand
It’s not you, it’s the Father inside
And when the storm clouds pass on through
And they’re only raining on you
Run for cover, in the Father you can hide
Don’t look for your strength in your coffee
Don’t look for your strength in your routine
Don’t look for your strength in your diet and exercise
Your strength, you’ll find it in the Lord
Don’t look for your rest in the glow of the television
Don’t look for your rest on the telephone
Don’t look for your rest in the shopping mall, sister
Your rest, you’ll find it in the Lord
‘Cause it’s like a mirror looking in
When you find the strength to stand
It’s not you, it’s the Father inside
And when the storm clouds pass on through
And they’re only raining on you
Run for cover, in the Father you can hide
Charm is deceiving and beauty is passing
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised
He said, “Come unto me all you weak and heavy laden
And I will give you rest.”
They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength
They shall rise with wings as the eagle
They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint
Teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait
“My strength is made perfect in your weakness.”
He said, “My strength is made perfect in your weakness.”
Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and now He shall strengthen your heart
Just wait on the Lord….
Words and music by Maron Gaffron
* * * * * * *
Getting down off my soapbox now,
Dear Julie,
Please, remain on your soapbox, there’s a reason you’re there to name what you perceive.
And I don’t think you are stodgy, I’m in my 30s and sense the same sadness of our cultures’ focus. There’s even a very interesting book by Susan Bordo entitled “Unbearable Weight” about the psychology and history of ads/women/eating disorders/relationships/etc. However, all from a worldly perspective with no tangible solution. Better self-esteem or more eloquent self-talk does not mend a battered spirit–only in Christ (as we believe) can our self-image be corrected. For the self is really erased, and His image of us is left standing. I’ll get off my soapbox now…
I’m eager to hear the song, my computer’s speakers are disabled somehow (children…) but I appreciated Gaffron’s insight and lyrics. I’m most challenged by not finding my strength in coffee! And when the speakers work, I’ll give six ears a listen–mine, and my two daughters.
Wisdom indeed. Amen.
There’s a thing I asked myself some years ago, when fretting about not being pretty enough: ‘Would Mother Teresa have looked better with a perm?’
It’s a question that has become a sort of mantra to me.
And I notice that even physically beautiful people are ugly if their faces look sulky and mean, and even people who one might have called ugly are beautiful when their faces are kind and gentle, and there is a smile in their eyes.
Thank you Ember and Shelley for your great comments. Have either of you ever considered writing a book? 🙂
Mmm….I enjoyed Ember’s comments. Good words.
I have twice experienced my young son (who is only 3) see a shirtless man on a shopping bag and ask me why the man is naked. It really opened my eyes to what they are seeing and I hate how hard it is to avoid these things. Never mind the displays of women in tiny lingerie! I am afraid for them and the things they are exposed to and what it can do to them, with males being so visual.
Anyway, all that to say that you are right…it affects the boys too.
Great song and words – I love this! Thanks for posting!!
Your ‘blog’ made me smile…as Maron is my daughter.
She writes MANY songs. But THIS song, she says, came straight to her as a gift from God, while vacationing in Colorado. She didn’t have to toil over the lyrics or melody, like she USUALLY has to. Just one night…very late…the lyrics came to her, and she wrote them out, effortlessly, line by line…by the little bit of moonlight that was streaming in thru the window (as she didn’t want to wake her husband or the family that they were staying with).
There’s more to the story, but that’s HER story to tell:)
Thank you for your kind words. I have ‘shared’ your words today on Facebook, and will share them with Maron, as well.
God bless you, and all of the ‘Housewives’ that have Jesus shining in and through them!
Maria! What an honor for you to leave a message here! Maron’s CD is one of my all-time favorites! I can’t tell you how much I love it. I have purchased that CD so many times and given it as gifts, I’ve lost count. Your daughter has such an obvious gift, and she’s one of the few artists I’d buy a CD of without hearing it first. You are a blessed mama. Thank you for stopping by here and commenting, Maria. And to all who are reading these comments – you need to buy some Maron Gaffron music!
Thank you so much for posting this. I was looking for the lyrics to this song. It is a powerful song. Thank you again!
Lisa
Hi Lisa! Thank you for visiting. Just last night when we were driving somewhere I had this CD on in the car again, and listened to the deep wisdom of that song. God bless you…. xo