David Wilcox and St. John of the Cross

If you've never heard of David Wilcox, remedy that immediately. The singer-songwriter is an incredible musician, artist and storyteller. His music is intelligent, clever and beautiful, and he is not afraid to tackle themes of politics, spirituality, addiction and more, all held together with songs about things like Waffle House.

He's released a number of wonderful records over the years, but the one I continually come back to is Live Songs & Stories. Wilcox is remarkable on stage. He talks while tuning his guitar, makes jokes and tells beautifully woven stories about his songs.

There are lots and lots of songs by Wilcox I could share, but I was just listening to his song "If it Wasn't for the Night" (not on the album I referred to, but still), and it struck me because it alludes to St. John of the Cross, specifically his famous poem "The Dark Night of the Soul." My roommate asked the other day if I had read that work--I had, in a religious poetry class in undergrad, and I really ought to go back to it.

Here are some of the lyrics of Wilcox's song:

If it wasn't for the night
So cold this time of year
The stars would never shine so bright
So beautiful and clear

Ah heck, just go listen, not only to that song but to just about everything Wilcox has put out. :)