{"id":1801,"date":"2015-09-07T17:23:53","date_gmt":"2015-09-07T17:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1801"},"modified":"2015-09-07T17:24:03","modified_gmt":"2015-09-07T17:24:03","slug":"sing-your-song-for-an-audience-of-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1801","title":{"rendered":"Sing Your Song for an Audience of One"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"images-2\"<\/a>
\nPlaying for Free by Joni Mitchell<\/p>\n

I slept last night in a good hotel
\n\u2028I went shopping today for jewels
\n\u2028The wind rushed around in the dirty town
\n\u2028And the children let out from the schools
\n\u2028I was standing on a noisy corner
\n\u2028Waiting for the walking green
\n\u2028Across the street he stood \u2028
\nAnd he played real good
\n\u2028On his clarinet for free. \u2028\u2028<\/p>\n

Now me I play for fortunes
\n\u2028And those velvet curtain calls
\n\u2028I’ve got a black limousine \u2028
\nAnd two gentlemen \u2028
\nEscorting me to the halls \u2028
\nAnd I play if you have the money
\n\u2028Or if you’re a friend to me
\n\u2028But the one man band \u2028
\nBy the quick lunch stand
\n\u2028He was playing real good for free.<\/p>\n

\u2028\u2028Nobody stopped to hear him \u2028
\nThough he played so sweet and high
\n\u2028They knew he had never \u2028
\nBeen on their T.V.\u2028
\nSo they passed his music by
\n\u2028I meant to go over and ask for a song
\n\u2028Maybe put on a harmony
\n\u2028I heard his refrain\u2028
\nAs the signal changed
\n\u2028He was playing real good for free. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know why but the lyrics of this song struck me deeply this morning. Joni is saying by now she is a rising star and plays for fortunes and fame. She has the limo and escorts and the velvet curtain calls. But she notices this guy who is playing his clarinet high and clear with skill for free. She thinks about going over to request a song or harmonize with him but the light changed and the thought is fleeting. Still she is struck by the skill of this one man band and the fact that he would play for free\u2026<\/p>\n

Do you sing your song for free? Do you continue to do your hidden work without the accolades and recognition of fame and fortune? I stand and give my applause to this humble man with a song and joy in his heart to share with no tangible reward in sight. <\/p>\n

When you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly. (Matt. 6:6)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Playing for Free by Joni Mitchell I slept last night in a good hotel \u2028I went shopping today for jewels \u2028The wind rushed around in the dirty town \u2028And the children let out from the schools \u2028I was standing on a noisy corner \u2028Waiting for the walking green \u2028Across the street he stood \u2028 And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2063,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2063","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":0},"title":"Sing Your Song for an Audience of One","author":"hollysmith","date":"January 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Playing for Free by Joni Mitchell I slept last night in a good hotel.\u00a0I went shopping today for jewels The wind rushed around in the dirty town and the children let out from the schools I was standing on a noisy corner waiting for the walking green Across the street\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"images-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/images-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1744,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1744","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":1},"title":"Can’t Find My Way Home","author":"hollysmith","date":"April 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Woke to this song playing in my head: \u201cYour ways are higher, Your ways are deeper All my hope is in you.\u201d A woman cried out in a memory care facility: \u201cI want to go home! I\u2019m sick and I want to go home! A man tugged on my sleeve\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"images-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/images-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1638,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1638","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":2},"title":"Email to Remember","author":"hollysmith","date":"September 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"God has a sense of humor. He meets us in everyday tasks and speaks subtly. Sunday night I began to delete a lot of emails. I had over 600 I am ashamed to say. I went on to bed and had a dream. I was deleting emails in the dream\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_5029","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/IMG_5029-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1670,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1670","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":3},"title":"“I Won’t Go Back” (song by William McDowell)","author":"hollysmith","date":"October 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Heard a worship song this weekend that impacted me deeply. The words went like this: \u201cI\u2019ve been changed, healed, freed, delivered. I\u2019ve found joy, peace, grace, and favor. I can\u2019t go back, I won\u2019t go back to the way it used to be before Your presence came and changed me.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"fall leaves","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/fall-leaves-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2513,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2513","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":4},"title":"The Humble will be Exalted","author":"hollysmith","date":"April 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the time when the humble will be exalted. Those in the back will come forward to instruct and change places with those currently in authority. Those in authority cannot learn what God wants to teach them in the limelight. This will be a season when they will sit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"autumn-3753910__340","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/autumn-3753910__340-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2504,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2504","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":5},"title":"I’ve Been Changed! Song by William McDowell","author":"hollysmith","date":"March 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Heard a worship song one weekend on a volunteer prison ministry trip that impacted me deeply. The words went like this: \u201cI\u2019ve been changed, healed, freed, delivered! I\u2019ve found joy, peace, grace, and favor. 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