just (after song of songs) is a setting of a text I made by finding certain things in the Song of Songs. The original text is of course the most passionate and erotic of the ancient Jewish books, and it is always strange to encounter it in the Bible. In 2008 I wrote a choral piece called for love is strong, in which I made a similar text from the Song of Songs, trying to use the words to see through the relationship between the man and the woman in the story to the relationship between Man and God. According to Jewish tradition the Song of Songs is a metaphor for our passion for the Eternal, so the words themselves become very important.
One thing that has always interested me about the text is that the man and the woman in the Song of Songs have attributes, they notice things about each other, they own things, they have features that are desirable. In a love between people this would be no surprise. In a love between Man and God, however, that might mean that in this text are clues to the nature of God’s own attributes, and a record of how they might attract us.
For my text I listed everything personal or owned that is attributed to the man and to the woman. To clarify who is speaking I started every phrase of his with ‘just your’ and every phrase of hers with ‘and my.’ It is interesting that in a text about a love that is shared there are only seven instances of ‘our.’
just (after song of songs) is dedicated to my friends Amy Podmore and Frank Jackson.
just (after song of songs) was written for the combined forces of Trio Mediaeval and Saltarello, and was commissioned by Eamonn Quinn for Louth Contemporary Music Society, funded by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaion.
just (after song of songs) words and music by david lang
just your mouth just your love just your anointing oils just your name just your chambers just your love
and my mother’s sons and my own vineyard and my soul
just your flock just your companions just your kids just your cheeks just your neck just your couch
and my perfume and my beloved and my breasts and my beloved and my love
just your eyes
and my beloved
our couch our house our rafters
and my love and my beloved
just your shadow just your fruit just your banner over me just your left hand just your right hand
and my beloved and my beloved
our wall
and my beloved and my love and my fair one and my love and my fair one and my dove
just your face just your voice just your voice just your face
our vineyards
and my beloved
just your flock
and my beloved and my bed and my soul and my soul and my soul and my soul any my mother’s house
just your sword just your mother just your wedding just your heart
and my love
just your eyes just your veil just your hair
just your teeth just your lips just your mouth just your cheeks just your veil just your neck just your two breasts
and my love and my bride and my heart and my sister and my bride and my heart
just your eyes just your necklace just your love
and my sister and my bride
just your love just your oils just your lips
and my bride
just your tongue just your garments
and my sister and my bride
just your shoots
and my garden and by beloved and my garden and my sister and my bride
and my myrrh and my spice and my honeycomb and my honey and my wine and my milk and my heart and my beloved and my sister and my love and my dove and my perfect one and my head and my locks and my garment and my feet and my beloved and my hand and my heart and my beloved and my hands and my fingers and my beloved and my beloved and my soul and my beloved
just your beloved just your beloved
and my beloved
just your head just your locks just your eyes just your cheeks just your lips just your arms just your body just you legs just your appearance just your speech
and my beloved and my friend
just your beloved
and my beloved just your garden just your flock
and my beloved and my beloved
just your flock and my love
just your eyes j ust your hair just your teeth just your cheeks
and my dove and my perfect one and my mother and my fancy and my prince
just your feet just your rounded thighs just your navel just your belly just your two breasts just your neck just your eyes just your nose just your head just your flowing locks just your breasts just your breasts just your breath just your kisses
and my beloved
just your desire
and my beloved and my love
our doors
and my beloved and my mother’s breast and my mother and my pomegranates
