“phree” is an adjective that combines the meanings of the words “phony” and “free.”
It can be used to describe not only phony freedom with regard to civil liberties and human rights, but also to describe products and services that are presented as free, but aren’t.
I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
Well, it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Well, your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Well, baby, I’ve been here before.
I’ve seen this room, and I’ve walked this floor.
I used to live alone before I knew you.
But I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch,
And love is not a victory march,
It’s a cold and it is a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Well, there was a time when you’d let me know
What’s really going on below,
But now you never show that to me, do you?
But remember when I moved in you,
And the Holy Ghost was moving too,
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Well, maybe there is a God above,
But all that I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you.
It’s not a cry that you hear at night,
And it is not somebody who has seen the light
It’s a cold and it is a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
What My Thoughts Were…
Well, it’s a lovely song. Super-moving.
But am I going to sing any of these lines at church?
You saw her bathing on the roof
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, she cut your hair
But all that I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you.
OK, well, no.
So what’s left to do, but write alternate lyrics for Cohen’s Hallelujah that would be appropriate for worship services?
Nothing, so here goes!
ADDRESSING LEONARD
You wrote some words that resonate
and on my path of rejecting pain
i make some changes to suit
Now I offer all my strengths and gifts
and fearlessly step forth and lift
my heart to the Lord
Halleluia
DO WHAT’S RIGHT VERSE
Regardless of your stage in life
you have a sense of what’s wrong and right
despite what you’re commanded to do
Your orders are to kill or harm
But we refuse to play along
We claim the strength to refuse
Hallelujah
ANY NAME VERSE
regardless of the names we choose
the statues clothes or books we use
we’re shoulder to shoulder in truth
Now remember that it moves in you
And the Holy Ghost, you feel it too
The spirit the nameless that frees us
Hallelujah
TESTAMENT VERSE
Well maybe there’s no God above,
and the only Spirit lives in us,
But we’ve learned the lesson of love
We sing our songs day and night
Our harmony brings love and light
and our world is whole, Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Here’s a rough cut, right after drafting the lyrical re-write…
Coming Soon…
Please feel free to make comments & suggestions. I plan to make a professional recording soon.
Gratitude to Leonard Cohen’s Soul R.I.P.
I can literally feel Leonard Cohen’s soul with me, next to me, and smiling at me and with me — for doing this re-write. It’s like his soul is cheering me on and offering a kind of warm support.
This article inserts a statement made in the past tense, into the present.
The insertion is: “I Eliminated Spam From My Life Entirely.”
My projection is that I will have successfully eliminated all spam from my life within 1 month, and that in a series of articles denoted by steps, I will have created a helpful guide for you to eliminate spam from your life, as well.
Let’s start!
Assessing My Personal Spam Problem
19 email addresses (I run several websites).
email spam quantity assessment
So, that works out to 769.86 emails per day.
How did THAT happen? LOL.
I turned all spam filtering off because I periodically get important emails from people I either don’t know or haven’t heard from in a while. I didn’t want to miss any emails, so I just let everything through. And, due to particular circumstances demanding my full attention, I have neglected my inboxes for about 4 years now.
Tsk tsk, I know, but really, I had something very important to do…
That’s the email side of things.
How about spam on my websites?
Online — on websites and such — yes, my websites are pummeled with spam too.
This website currently has 2,500 “comments,” which is an oddly “round” number but here it is:
website spam comment quantity
Taking Some Initial Steps (March 30, 2015)
Well, I turned on “SpamAssassin,” and it doubled my spam.
SpamAssassin Doubled My Spam
6000 emails in 7 days — i have a screenshot of over 7000 somewhere but can’t find it right now…
Support Email Regarding SpamAnother Support Email Regarding Spam
Taking Some Initial Steps (March 30, 2015)
OK, so I tried turning on “SpamAssassin,” which doubled my spam. I also turned on something called “Box Trapper,” which creates a sender challenge. I figured, if Box Trapper can unsubscribe from everything — but allow my friends, family, and business associates to just “verify” their emails — then I would be set.
But this is what my email looks like now:
Box Trapper Results
So, I get a message stating that the emails that I sent “verification requests” to — cannot receive emails.
I also chatted with DreamHost’s tech support and they suggested I lower the spam score to “3” on all my email addresses — so I did that. Still — it didn’t seem to mean — or do — very much to make that change.
How Many Email Accounts Do I Have?
I have 1 free gmail account I generally do not use. I pay for two servers that also host email along with websites. I have about 19 email addresses, because I host several websites and you need to have email addresses to do so. Of my 19 email addresses, about 2-3 are personal email addresses that I would like to be able to use. The main email address I am seeking to reclaim is dainis@dainis.net.
An Imagined Solution
I want to be able to publish that email address wherever I like, and, for example, if it is the first time you are contacting me, then you need to go through a verification process. It’s not really complicated — and I do not wish to receive any email without having consented to receiving that email.
http://www.dainiswmichel.com/w...50x150.jpg 150w, http://www.dainiswmichel.com/w...00x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px" /> when you take a staunch stance on vaccines…
when you take a staunch stance on vaccines, you are saying that only one of these families deserves your compassion.
Marcella Gruelle died, at age 13, from a mandatory vaccination administered at school without parental consent.
Olivia Dahl died, at age 7, from measles encephalitis.
Our deepest condolences to the families, regardless of time past, and may the souls of these lovely girls continue to rest in peace.