Sixpence None the Richer

Hace unos años me grabé unas canciones del grupo norteamericano “Sixpence None the Richer” (debo haber llegado a ellos por algún cover, seguramente de Pomplamoose). Como me intrigaba el nombre, averigüé que se lo pusieron por un texto de Lewis, de “Mere Christianity” más precisamente. Supongo que sería esta parte:

“Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already.

So that when we talk of a man doing anything for God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what it is really like.

It is like a small child going to its father and saying, 'Daddy, give me sixpence to buy you a birthday present'. Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child's present. It is all very nice and proper, but only an idiot would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction”.

Entonces releí sus letras de otra manera. No puede uno dejar de imaginarse una metáfora religiosa en canciones como “Breathe your name” o “Melody of you”. Esta última es mi favorita. El autor es Matt Slocum. Dice:

You're a painting with symbols deep

A symphony, soft as it shifts [from] dark beneath

A poem that flows, caressing my skin

In all of these things you reside and

I want to flow from the pen, bow, and brush

Then paper, string, and canvas touch

With ink in the air to dust your light

From morning 'til the black of night

This is my call, I belong to You

This is my call to sing the melody of You

This is my call, I can do nothing else

I can do nothing else

You're the scent of an unfound bloom

A simple tune, I only write variations to

A drink that will knock me down to the floor

A key that will unlock the door

Where I hear a voice sing familiar themes

Then beckons me weave notes in between

A bow and a string, a tap and a glass

You pour me, 'til the day has passed

No tengo mayor conocimiento de otras canciones y no leí “Mere Christianity” así que no puedo profundizar en más relaciones o inspiraciones.

Grupo de música aparte, el texto de Lewis que cité me hace pensar una cosa. Me pregunto si Lewis no dirá algo, antes o después, sobre otra relación que se puede desprender del texto citado. Por ejemplo, los sixpence que el niño da al padre, por ser del padre y venir de él, reflejan también en cierto modo aquel agustiniano “Da lo que mandas, y manda lo que quieras”. Porque, ¿qué podemos darte si Tú no nos lo das antes? O si no nos das las fuerzas para hacerlo.