The Holy Mountain

[bnewman]

Many religious traditions, including Judaism, speak of a holy mountain — often, some specific, actual mountain.  And we should avoid blowing up specific mountains that are sacred to other people, but we should also be wary of the impulse to fight to control them, because the real Holy Mountain is the world of justice and peace that we should all be hiking towards, and that mountain is everywhere, if we would only look.

lyrics and music by Benjamin Newman

listen to this song

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The Holy Mountain is the place I seek,

For my God has told me I must reach the peak:

From the Holy Mountain, He will hear my prayer,

But of all the mountains in the world out there...

 

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The Holy Mountain could be anywhere.

 

The Holy Mountain is wherever you stand

To give praise and thanks, and the Holy Land

Is wherever you live, if you live in peace

With a love of justice, may it never cease...

 

And the Holy Scriptures are the stories you tell

When you teach your children how to get along well,

And the bread of Heaven is the bread you share,

And the breath of God is your city air...

 

'Cause the Holy Mountain could be anywhere.

 

The Holy Mountain gets plenty of rain,

And the living water flows down to the plain,

And it pours right out into your kitchen sink,

And it's not God's fault if it's not fit to drink!

 

'Cause the Holy Mountain is the tower we build

In the world we're given, with the power we wield,

And we've put it through a lot of wear and tear,

And if it's ours to use, it's ours to help repair...

 

'Cause the Holy Mountain could be anywhere.

 

The Holy Mountain is sufficiently wide

To hold everybody, standing side by side,

But we'll only fit if we can get along,

And if we stop complaining that our neighbor's wrong...

 

The Holy Mountain is sufficiently tall

To look down and see that the world is small,

And the Chosen People are the ones who care,

And the Throne of Glory is a folding chair,

 

'Cause the Holy Mountain could be anywhere.