Tag Archives: adventure

The Message Behind the Music-June 13

Posted on June 13, 2026 by expressyourself4him

Christopher Cross – Sailing (Official Music Video) [Remastered HD]

Inspiration Behind Sailing:

Al Glasscock, an older friend of Christopher Cross, introduced him to sailing as a teenager. Al used sailing as a stress reliever from the pressures to succeed in life. These trips on the water became an emotional refuge for Christopher who began to view Al as a surrogate older brother. These personal experiences spawned the idea for Sailing. The lyrics express a desire for escapism, out on the open sea to clear your mind.

Biblical Application:

Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. 21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them, Isaiah 33:20-21.

Exegesis of Sailing:

It’s not far down to paradise
At least it’s not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me

Paradise is a state of mind for Christopher. Being on a sailboat in the open waters is where Christopher finds peace. The views that you see are like miracles that completely wash away any anxieties, concerns or worries.

It’s not far to never never land
No reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy
Of innocence again
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me

Sailing provides an opportunity to explore, discovering your own personal Neverland. The power of the wind takes you places you never thought possible. This is the canvas that you will see as you sail.

Sailing
Takes me away
To where I’ve always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free

Every trip with Al growing up never disappointed Christopher. As the wind carried and guided their vessel, Christopher found a sense of freedom from the stress of life, true recreation.

Fantasy
It gets the best of me
When I’m sailing
All caught up in the reverie
Every word is a symphony
Won’t you believe me

Sailing is better than any movie or video game. When the wind is blowing, one person is steering and the other is waiting to see if the sails are going to have to be changed. To Christopher, sailing is like being part of a symphony.

It’s not far back to sanity
At least it’s not for me
And when the wind is right you can sail away
And find serenity
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me

This final stanza expresses what sailing can do to refresh your heart, soul and mind, as long as you know what you are doing. This is the sanity and serenity Christopher sings about as the backdrop continues to change as the wind leads the way. Sailing is a canvas of miraculous views, one after the other.

Final Thoughts:

By the time I became a teenager, my father Joe loved soft rock. Whether we were on our way to the beach, visiting family or heading up to Maine for our annual summer vacation, Sailing by Christopher Cross was playing at some point on the way there. Like Christopher, a neighbor named Richie introduced me to sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. After mastering a Sunfish, we moved on to one of the larger sailboats that his stepfather purchased, With the wind at your back, there is nothing like sailing on the open waters. Thus, I too have witnessed the canvas of miracles that Christopher sings about in Sailing. If you ever have the opportunity, don’t pass up on a chance to experience sailing.

by Jay Mankus

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The Message Behind the Music-June 9

Posted on June 9, 2026 by expressyourself4him

Under the Boardwalk

Inspiration Behind Under the Boardwalk:

Arthur Resnick was walking on the Coney Island Boardwalk when he observed several couples on the beach begin to take shelter underneath. These observations from a walk set in motion the song Under the Boardwalk with the idea of out of the sun and out of sight. Arthur worked with Kenny Young to complete the lyrics in 1963, but the recording was delayed by a year following the death of lead singer of the Drifters Rudy Lewis. Johny Moore who rejoined the Drifters in 1963, replaced Lewis as lead singer on Under the Boardwalk.

Biblical Application:

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head,” Matthew 8:18-20.

Exegesis of Under the Boardwalk:

Oh, when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof
And your shoes get so hot, you wish your tired feet were fireproof

Describes what it feels like to take a walk on a hot summer day.

Under the boardwalk (ooh), down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket (ooh) with my baby is where I’ll be

The Boardwalk serves as a place to take shelter from the sun. Taking a nap under the Boardwalk doesn’t lead to heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Meanwhile, you can snuggle with your significant other.

(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be havin’ some fun
(Under the boardwalk) people walking above
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be making love
Under the boardwalk, boardwalk

The chorus provides a perspective of what it is like under the Boardwalk. You’re in the shade, watching people above you. The making love line was added, not what Arthur initially observed.

From the park, you hear the happy sound of a carousel (ooh)
Mm, you can almost taste the hot dogs and French fries they sell

A stanza about the sights, sounds and smell of Coney Island,

Under the boardwalk (ooh), down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I’ll be

A popular place on a hot sunny day.

(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be havin’ some fun
(Under the boardwalk) people walking above
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be making love

Under the Boardwalk provides shelter, a place to laugh, look and love.

Under the boardwalk, boardwalk

Oh, under the boardwalk (ooh) down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket (ooh) with my baby is where I’ll be

The smaller and newer boardwalks don’t give you this option.

(Under the boardwalk) out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be havin’ some fun
(Under the boardwalk) people walking above
(Under the boardwalk) we’ll be falling in love
Under the boardwalk, boardwalk

Listeners to this classic summer song can relate to the lyrics of this song.

Final Thoughts:

I grew up in New Jersey where my parents took me to Atlantic City, New Jersey before all the casinos were built. My mom and older sisters showed me how to look for and collect seashells, especially after a storm. When I returned decades later with my wife Leanne, the beach was like a ghost town. All those shells laying on the shore went unnoticed as the general public was more interested in the casinos and stores on the Boardwalk. This is a sad reality of modern times. Yet, I still taught my children how to search for hidden shells just as I was showed as a child.

by Jay Mankus

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The Message Behind the Music-June 4

Posted on June 4, 2026 by expressyourself4him

The Beach Boys “I Get Around” on The Ed Sullivan Show

Inspiration Behind I Get Around:

When the Beatles came to America in the 1960’s, they took over the airways, leaving once popular bands in the background, of Beatle mania. Brian Wilson and Mike Lowe wrote I Get Around as a response to this British invasion. This song serves as an autobiography of the Beach Boys as if to declare, “we get around too.” This airing on the Ed Sullivan Show helped remind Beach Boy fans that we’re pretty good too.

Biblical Application:

As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men, Acts 17:10-12.

Exegesis of I Get Around:

Round round, get around
I get around
Yeah
(Get around round round, I get around)
I get around
(Get around round round, I get around)
My kinda town
(Get around round round, I get around)
I’m a real cool head
(Get around round round, I get around)
I’m makin’ real good bread

While the spotlight was on the Beatles, the Beach Boys were busy traveling all over the country.

I’m gettin’ bugged driving up and down the same old strip
I gotta find a new place where the kids are hip

The Beach Boys were trying to expand their audience, seeking to go in a different direction to reach a broader audience.

My buddies and me are gettin’ real well known
Yeah, the bad guys know us and they leave us alone

The Beach Boys were like America’s Beatles without the national media frenzy.

I get around
(Get around round round, I get around)
My kinda town
(Get around round round, I get around)
I’m a real cool head
(Get around round round, I get around)
I’m makin’ real good bread
(Get around round round, I get around)
I get around, round
Get around round round, ooh

The Beach Boys are doing okay, traveling around the country.

We always take my car ’cause it’s never been beat
And we’ve never missed yet with the girls we meet

The Beach Boys enjoy street racing when the cops aren’t around.

None of the guys go steady ’cause it wouldn’t be right
To leave their best girl home now on Saturday night

The boys didn’t want to have long distance relationships, preferring to remain single.

I get around
(Get around round round, I get around)
My kinda town
(Get around round round, I get around)
I’m a real cool head
(Get around round round, I get around)
I’m makin’ real good bread
(Get around round round, I get around)
I get around, round
Ooh, ooh

Despite being overshadowed by the Beatles, the Beach Boys were successful for decades.

Round round, get around
I get around
Yeah
(Get around round round, I get around)

This group keeps evolving and spreading out their reach in the music industry.

(Get around round round, I get around)
(Get around round round, I get around)
(Get around round round, I get around)
(Get around round round, I get around)

The Beach Boys are still relevant.

(Get around round round, I get around)
(Get around round round, I get around)
(Get around round round, I get around)
(Get around round round, I get around)

Fans continue to show up at their concerts.

Final Thoughts:

While playing sand volleyball a few days a week each summer in college, I Get Around was part of the daily music mix at Geauga Lake in Ohio. My best friend Eddy and I played picked up games for hours, hearing this Beach Boy tune several times a day. Now that I know the background of this song, the message is different than I always thought. Yet this was one of many Beach Boy songs that I enjoyed listening to while growing up.

by Jay Mankus

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The Message Behind the Music-March 25

Posted on March 25, 2026 by expressyourself4him

Sade – Smooth Operator – Official – 1984

Inspiration Behind Smooth Operator:

The goal for the musical construction of Smooth Operator contained 2 essential elements. First, create the ideal mix of jazz, soul and R & B. Second, to present a melody where a concise story could be told. Sade Adu and Raymond St. John co-wrote Smooth Operator while members of the band Pride. This song about a con man, able to persuade anyone in his spheres of influence put Sade on the map as an up-and-coming female artist.

Biblical Application:

Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts, they harbor deceit.
25 Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts.
26 Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them. 28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin, Proverbs 26:24-28.

Exegesis of Smooth Operator:

He’s laughing with another girl
And playing with another heart
Placing high stakes making hearts ache
He’s loved in seven languages
Diamond nights and ruby lights high in the sky
Heaven help him when he falls

From afar, charm is one of those qualities that is easy to distinguish. Yet when you are the one being swayed by a smooth operator, you want to believe that this is genuine.

Diamond life, lover boy
We move in space with minimum waste and maximum joy
City lights and business nights
When you require streetcar desire for higher heights

This kind of smooth operator makes for a great character in a series like Castle or the Pierce Brosnan character in the Thomas Crown Affair. Not matter how much women are warned about their reputation, they fall in love anyone.

No place for beginners or sensitive hearts
When sentiment is left to chance
No place to be ending but somewhere to start

You have to be mature and disciplined to resist smooth operators.

No need to ask
He’s a smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator

Flattery is so difficult to resist.

Coast to coast, LA to Chicago, western male
Across the north and south, to Key Largo, love for sale

Smooth operators don’t stay in the same place long or else they will be exposed, constantly moving from one city to the next.

Face to face, each classic case
We shadow box and double cross
Yet need the chase
A license to love, insurance to hold
Melts all your memories and change into gold
His eyes are like angels but his heart is cold

Smooth operators are like wolves in sheep clothing.

No need to ask
He’s a smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator

Just when common sense is telling you to leave, your emotions lead you to fall for their promises.

Coast to coast, LA to Chicago, western male
Across the north and south, to Key Largo, love for sale
Smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator

These smooth operators still exist today, often hiding behind the backdrop of large cities.

Smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator
Smooth operator

Like any temptation, leave before it’s too late.

Final Thoughts:

Since I could barely speak as a former stutterer, I was never a smooth operator. Yet when fame, fortune or success comes your way, make sure that you stay grounded in humility. Or else you’ll get carried away with flattery, and perhaps start following the path of a smooth operator.

by Jay Mankus

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Stuck on the Sidelines

Posted on May 28, 2014 by expressyourself4him

When I competed in sports, I never realized what a parent goes through until I became one.  Sure, I remember having butterflies on the first tee, throwing the first pitch or standing on the starting block, but after a while these nervous feelings become part of the game.  From the sidelines, I’m helpless, just a voice of encouragement, biting my nails, pacing around and hoping my child doesn’t embarrass themselves.

As my oldest son James sets out to play in his second consecutive state golf tournament, there isn’t anyone else to blame.  There are no umpires who can miss a call.  No referees to influence the outcome of the game.  In golf, you are the team and when you mess up its obvious.  Well, let’s see…  You can hit a house, a spectator, visit the beach or take a dive in an adjacent waterway.  When you’re stuck on the sidelines as a golf parent, every shot is a gut wrenching adventure.

During the game of life, the Lord doesn’t abandon you.  According to Hebrews 12:1, a great crowd of witnesses is sitting in the grandstands called heaven.  Saints, past and present are sending out prayers to help each participant to cross the finish line.  Although you may be lost in the woods or stuck in a hazard, God sends angels to set you free from these precarious situations, Psalm 30:1-3.  If you’re stuck on the sidelines like me, remember the promise of Philippians 4:6-7 to get you through each day.

by Jay Mankus

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