Jamin Bradley

My family was already headed on a vacation to our desolate cabin this week, so I broke off from them for a couple of hours to echo Saint Antony’s desire to seek God out in the wilderness. During that time, I spent a lot of time asking for wisdom. I then returned to write a song about Jesus as the Old Testament’s, “Woman Wisdom”—a theological connection established very well by Sally Douglas in her book, Jesus Sophia. The song was inspired by seeking out a prayerful time of isolation. Just as John turned heads by fasting and Jesus turned heads by feasting, so did Antony turn heads by going out into the desert. And just as Wisdom proved her tactics via John and Jesus’ fruit, so did Antony show us fruit via his strange ways, as he was empowered for ministry and impacted the world.

VERSE 1
Some look to the stars
To figure out where they’re to go
Some pull out their compass
Some get astrological
But I’ve got woman wisdom
Living deep down in my soul
And she speaks
Sophia speaks 

PRECHORUS 1
And she says
My burden is light
My direction is right 
For the listening ear
So take a seat right here

And she says
Stretch out your mind
The cruciform way takes some time
But it will soon be clear
So take a seat right here

CHORUS
Wisdom proves herself through her children 
Though the crowd may never get it
That doesn’t mean that wisdom ain’t right
In her, creation thrives

Her fruit is growing right in our vision
You can fast or you can feast
But the crowd won’t be appeased
By her light
But that don’t make them right
That don’t make them right

VERSE 2
Some look to the angels
Shining bright up in the sky
Turning with the firmament 
Through every day and night
But I’ve got lady wisdom
Making life in me once more
And she creates
From age to age 

PRECHORUS 2
And she says
I sent you my prophets
But you put up a strong defense
To the listening ear
So take a seat right here

And she says
Stretch out your mind
Or your crucifix ways will take the lives
Of those whom I’m near
So take a seat right here

BRIDGE
You can follow gods and sacred trees
But their wisdom just won’t do
Don’t forget that gods and sacred trees
Are just created things like you

And you can be as rich as Solomon 
But that’ll never make you wise
Cause Solomon soon lost his way
When he drowned in his delights

You can know the law to the letter
But it’ll never make you better
If the wisdom that inspired it
Has not fulfilled your mind

You can follow gods and sacred trees
And kings and rule books too
But don’t forget the wisdom that crafted them
Became incarnate for me and you

PRECHORUS 3
My burden is light
My direction is right
Stretch out your mind

ENDING
Some look to the skies 
And wait for wisdom to descend
But wisdom made her way below
In the form of a son of man

So you can look up to the heavens
And hope that stars might do the trick
But wisdom lives deep down inside her bride
Through the heavenly Spirit